


Bookmark

by JustAFellowUser



Series: The Books on Olympus [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Book 3: The Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Reading the Books, SoN Spoilers, TLH spoilers, The Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus) Spoilers, The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus) Spoilers, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2019-10-06 09:07:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 211,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17342552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAFellowUser/pseuds/JustAFellowUser
Summary: **Must Read Book Cult to Understand**Out of all the things Leo has ever done as a demigod, traveling back in time has to be the most challenging experience he's ever went through. And that's saying something! How's he supposed to convince a room of gods and demigods to stay united, when the only way to do it is by letting them read his thoughts? Seriously, how unlucky can he get?!





	1. Annabeth I

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This the second story after Book Cult. In order to understand this 'Reading Mark of Athena' fanfic, you have to read the first one.
> 
> Also this fanfic was will have text from MoA but will focus primarily on the comments on the text. There will be enough text for you to understand what the characters are commenting about. The dots before the paragraphs indicate that parts of the story have been skipped.
> 
> P.S. Leo's from the timeline inbetween HoH and BoO.

Leo yawned widely. Smacking his lips (mostly because it helped him stay awake), he tilted his flashlight over the book and carefully read the words.

 **Asclepius or Hepius was a hero and Greek god of medicine in ancient Greek mythology.** Leo yawned again. **He was the son of Apollo and a mortal woman named Coronis, daughter of Phlegyas, king of Lapiths.** Eyes fluttering, Leo turned to the next page. 

**-The newborn was taken to be raised by Chiron who taught the demigod in medicine and would drive him to become the greatest of healers.**

Tiredly frowning, Leo clicked his pen.

 _Chiron raised this guy?_ he thought. _Does that mean he knows about the potion? Maybe I should talk to him about..._ He shook his head. _No, he'll ask too many questions. Plus he's already worried about the whole time travel thing, I don't need to freak him out by asking him questions on a cure for death._

It seemed like forever since Nemesis sent him back in time and a lot happened after he stumbled into the Olympians' throne room. For starters, he wasn't the only thing Nemesis sent to the Olympians and demigods. He was sent to the past along with three books. One of them recounting his first quest with his best friends, Piper and Jason, and it was written in their point of views.

At first, it had been a nightmare to listen to people he barely knew read his personal thoughts _out loud,_ he even tried to run away at one point, but eventually he learned to tolerate it.

Yeah it still sucked having people to read his personal issues and feelings, but it wasn't so bad when he realized the people reading it were actually pretty cool. Strange, probably crazy (who was he kidding? They were all crazy), but cool. While he still didn't understand Nemesis' motive for sending him back into the past, reading that book and hearing Apollo brag about his son, did give him an idea on how to defeat Gaea once and for all.

It was going to get him killed, there was no avoiding that. But maybe, if he could find this 'cure for death', he could save the world _and_ come back to life. That sounded like a great plan, right?

"If I can find those stupid ingredients." Leo grumbled. He groaned in frustration when he flipped the page and found that the passage on Asclepius was over. 

He slammed _The Big Book of all Things Greek_ and threw it into his growing pile of dead ends. As soon as the book fell into the pile, a cloud of dust floated into the air, causing the son of Hephaestus to have a sneezing attack.

He had spent _hours_ in the Big House attic, searching for any clues on Asclepius and his cure for death, and he didn't even have a lot of time doing research before the others would realize he wasn't in his sleeping bag at the Hephaestus Cabin (it was still too soon to be sleeping in Beckendorf's bed). The demigods would probably freak if they found him missing and he didn't even want to know their reactions if they ever found out _why_ he was in the attic, but he had no choice. This was something he had to do.

Sniffling, Leo rummaged through another bookshelf until he came across a small paperback book. 

 _Major Accomplishments of Minor Gods_ , the title read.

 _At least we're getting somewhere._ Leo yawned. He checked the table of context. _And it has a chapter on Asclepius too._ Which was amazing considering the guy was minor even by minor god standards.  

Leo flipped to the god's chapter and started reading.

 _Read. Read. Read. Since when did I become such a bookworm?_ he thought, eyes fluttering again. He was reading about Asclepius' symbol, when his eyes shut without his permission. He would've fallen asleep if he hadn't pinched himself.

He jumped, eyes snapping open. 

Yeah hurting yourself was bad, but if it kept him awake, Leo didn't care.

He continued reading.

 **...Upon hearing the death of her hunting companion, Hippolytos, the son of Theseus, a grief-stricken Artemis begged her nephew Asclepius, the best physician in all of Greece to bring the deceased back to life.** Leo perked up at that. He began to eagerly read more.  **Asclepius complied by creating the Physician's Cure and administering it into the dead prince.**

_The Physician's Cure..._

Resting the flashlight on his lap, Leo took out his notepad and began to write his findings down. 

 _Okay we have a name_. the son of Hephaestus thought. _How do we make it?_

He picked up the book and was about to read more details, when he heard the attic door suddenly slam open. 

"Leo! I swear to the gods when I find you here-!" a voice hissed, causing Leo to stiffen.

_Crap, how long have I been in here?_

He hurriedly shut off his flashlight and hugged the book to his chest. It was probably a stupid idea to hide, especially when he wasn't in the best hiding place. But he really didn't want to be found by the angry son of Hades. Who knows what he'll do to him?!

 _Okay, okay! Don't panic!_ Leo thought, mind racing. _Just wait until he leaves, then run downstairs and tell everyone you decided to... uh...Take a walk in the woods! A nice long walk in the woods... Full of monsters... Without telling anyone... And covered in cobwebs...._ Leo grimaced. _Damnit! Hermes was right, I do suck at lying._

As he struggled to think of a good lie, he didn't notice the sound of footsteps, or that they were coming closer.

 _Got it! I... er... decided to sleep in the Big House! Yeah I didn't want to be a bother so I decided, why not sleep in the attic?... On the cold hard floor... Without my sleeping bag... And without telling anyone..._ Leo slapped his forehead. He was trying! He really was! But his brain felt like a fried egg! _Why am I so exhausted? I didn't even do anything besides read all day!_

 _"Valdez!"_ the voice growled behind him.

Leo turned around and gulped. _Busted._

He didn't think he's ever seen Nico di Angelo look as angry than he did right now.

"Uh... Hi Nico!" Leo tried to say cheerfully. He forced himself to smile and wave at the scowling boy. 

The son of Hephaestus scrambled to his feet and tried to ignore the room spinning around him.

He swayed a bit, but still kept smiling. "Um... Good morning?" Was it morning? He lost track of time. "How'd you sleep?" He figured he should ask some conversational questions. That should help Nico cool down.

"Fine." he answered gruffly. "Until I woke up this morning and saw everyone running around, trying to find where you went!" Leo guiltily winced. "What are you doing here?! People are worried! They're starting to think you ran away!"

"I'm sorry," Leo said, racking his brain for an answer. "I wasn't tired and I thought maybe I could... hang out here?"

Leo inwardly groaned. Hermes would've died in second-hand embarrassment.

"In the attic." Nico said dryly.

"Uh-huh." There was no turning back now.

"In the dark."

"It... calms me down?"

"Without telling anyone."

"Kinda... wanted to just be alone...?"

"Doing what?"

"Uh... nothing?"

"I see..." the son of Hades narrowed his eyes.

For a moment, Leo couldn't help but feel a sense of hope that he might get out of this scot-free. Maybe Nico take pity on him and just drop the conversation. He seemed like a loner type of guy, he had to know what it feels like to want to be alone.   

His hopes were crushed, when Nico reared his fist back and struck him in the arm.

" _Ow!"_ Leo yelled, eyes wide. He clutched his wounded appendage, suddenly feeling more awake. 

"What was that for?!"

"For giving me such a stupid lie!" the son of Hades snapped. "And this is for scaring the crap out of me!"

He punched him again in the other arm.

" _Ow!"_

"I thought you ran away! I would've Shadow Traveled all over New York looking for you, if Will hadn't suggested we search here!" Nico yelled, waving his arms. "What are you _really_ doing here anyway?"

Nico's eyes zeroed in on the book clutched against Leo's chest. 

"What are you reading?" he frowned.

"Nothing!" Leo said too quickly. He slammed the book shut and shoved it in his tool belt.

He'll do his research later.

"It had to be something for you to want to be so secretive about it." Nico huffed. His body relaxing from his earlier tense posture. Apparently punching him must've felt very soothing. "Whatever, as long as I've found you, I guess it doesn't matter. Let's go downstairs and tell everyone you're still here."

The son of Hades waited until Leo walked in front of him, before the two boys went downstairs.

"You found him!" Will said brightly, seeing the two come back from the attic. He grinned at Nico. "See, I told you he couldn't have gotten far."

"Yeah, yeah." Nico grumbled. "He shouldn't have even left his cabin in the first place."

"Right." Will frowned at the son of Hephaestus. His hair was sticking out in random places and was covered in cobwebs; his eyes were bloodshot and half-lidded due to lack of sleep. The only thing that looked neat about him, was his outfit which was handmade by some 'mystery seamstress'. Other than that he was a complete wreck.

"Do you have any idea how worried we were?" Will scolded. "Next time you decide to run off, you need to tell someone!"

"Sorry." Leo yawned.

"And what were you doing in the attic anyway?" the son of Apollo asked, picking the cobwebs out and attempting to fix his hair. "Couldn't have been sleeping, that's for sure. You look like you're going to pass out any minute."

"Nah. I'm an insomniac, remember?" the son of Hephaestus closed his eyes before snapping them open again.

"Stop saying that." Will groaned. "There's a difference between being _unable_ to sleep vs. _not_ _wanting_ to sleep."

"I don't know what exactly he was doing," Nico told him. "But when I came upstairs, he looked like he was reading something."

"Reading?" Will repeated incredulously. He turned to Leo. "So after we spent hours reading _The Lost Hero,_ you decided to sneak out in the middle of the night, stay up, _and_ skip breakfast, just so you can read another book." 

The son of Apollo made a face. "You do realize we're going to be reading the second book today, right?"

"I'll be fine." Leo assured him. The son of Hephaestus stretched."Just gotta wash my face. I've done this before."

Will's frown deepened, but before he could say anything, Nico added.

"You have to tell the others that you're still on Camp."

As if on cue, Annabeth rushed in to speak to them.

"Have you found-" she stopped and glared at Leo. "Where have you been? We've been searching all over for you!"

"Attic." Nico said, before Leo could answer. He didn't seem to want to explain the situation either. He just stared back at her with an unreadable expression.

His response seemed to throw her off. "Wait what's he doing in the...? Whatever! Com'on! We've been searching for you when we should've been already on our way to Olympus! I... _We_ need to read the second book and find out what happens to Percy!"

"But Leo hasn't eaten yet." Will protested.

Annabeth groaned. "He can eat on the way there. Hurry!" 

And with that, she rushed out of the Big House, no doubt rounding up the other demigods into the van.

Will glanced at Leo. 

"Go get washed up." he said. "I'll get you something light to eat on the ride."

He gave Nico a goodbye wink before leaving the Big House.

Nico blinked at where Will was standing, as if he had no idea what just happened. Deciding to just ignore it, he turned to Leo. 

"I don't know what you were doing upstairs," he said. "But if you ever pull a stunt like this again, I will have every demigod in Camp line up, for a chance to punch you. Do you understand?"

Judging by his face, Nico wasn't joking.

Leo gulped. "I won't."

This was going to be a long day, Leo could just feel it.

By the time the demigods had made it back to the 600th floor, the gods were already seated in their thrones, impatiently waiting for them.

"There you are." Apollo smiled at them. "What took ya'?"

The demigods said nothing, they just all glanced over at Leo. 

Still munching on his crackers, Leo just gave a closed mouth smile and sheepishly waved.

"I don't even want to know." Athena grumbled. "Let's just get this over with."

She picked up the book. 

 _The Mark of Athena,_ the title read. 

The goddess's eyes widened at that. _Could it be...?_

On the cover, the picture show an owl peering at the reader in the background. In the foreground, Percy Jackson and who was undoubtedly Jason Grace, were on their horses, looking ready to maim each other.

Are they searching for the _Athena Parthenos_ and finally taking revenge against those _filthy_ Romans?

 _Looks can be deceiving._ she reminded herself, but she could shake the feeling of overwhelming hope that the Romans will finally be brought to justice.

She couldn't stop a small grin.

_I knew Hera's plan wasn't going to work._

"Does anybody want to read first?" the goddess asked.

"I can do it." Connor shrugged, taking the book. 

Seeing Jason and Percy fighting on the cover made the gods exchange uneasy looks and caused the demigods to shift uncomfortably.

Annabeth studied the title closely. 

 _The Mark of Athena?_ she wondered. _Is that the thing the Romans took?  Is that why Mother is acting so strange?_

Once all the demigods were seated, Connor opened the book.

The son of Hermes flipped to the first page before he frowned.

" **Annabeth I**?" Connor read.

The readers gave him looks of surprise.

"What?" Percy blinked.

The only person who looked unimpressed was Annabeth.

"Very funny, Connor." she scowled at him. Out of all the times for his stupid jokes, he just _had_ to chose now, didn't he? She suppressed the urge to sigh. "Just hurry up and read the real chapter."

"That _is_ the real chapter." Chris said, looking over his brother's shoulder. "This really is an Annabeth chapter."

Connor spun the book around to prove it.

Leo winced in sympathy. _Damn! First Tartarus, now this? Com'on Nemesis, hasn't she already had enough?_

The daughter of Athena stared at her name in disbelief.

"But-" she faltered. "Why would Nemesis write this book in _my_ point of view...?"

"It could have something to do with the title." Nico suggested. " _The Mark of Athena_."

Jake frowned. "Sounds like a curse..."

If possible, Annabeth looked more distraught. _A curse? My mother wouldn't curse me, right? But then again, she hasn't been rational ever since we discovered the Romans. There's no telling what she would do... What if she found out I wanted to work with them, and decided to curse me?_ She shuddered.

Percy sent him a quick glare.

"Ignore him. I'm sure it means something else." he told her. Percy wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "And reading your thoughts won't be _that_ bad, Leo's fine with it."

Leo made a face at his choice of words.

 _I_ _f you mean 'fine' as in, I put up with it because I have to, then yeah. I'm fine with it..._ he thought, but out loud he said: "It'll be hard, but you'll do fine, Annabeth."

"Yeah, it'll probably be harder for us than you." Travis joked. "Can you imagine how boring Annabeth's thoughts must be?"

"I know," Connor agreed, laughing with him. "It's probably going to have her over analyzing stuff, thinking about the square root of fifty-two, and talking about buildings' structures-"

"Alright, we get it. Just shut up and read the chapter." Annabeth snapped. Although she was still uneasy about her thoughts being read out loud, she had to do it if she wanted to find out about Percy. She _needed_ to be sure her Percy was still the same Seaweed Brain she knew and loved.

 _If Leo can do it, so can I._ Annabeth thought, sitting up proudly. _Besides, it's only two chapters. I can deal with that! I've fought in the Titans' War for gods' sake!_

With those thoughts in mind, she refused to let this book, or Nemesis for that matter, get to her.

**Until she met the exploding statue, Annabeth thought she was prepared for anything.**

"Wait! What!" Connor pretended to gasp in horror. "Annabeth? _The_ Annabeth Chase? Not prepared for something? Hey, Leo, are you sure you're not from an alternate universe?"

Leo bit his lip to keep from laughing with the Stoll brothers.

"Not funny." Annabeth said flatly.

**She'd paced the deck of their flying warship, the Argo II, checking and double-checking the ballistae to make sure they were locked down. She confirmed that the white "We come in peace" flag was flying from the mast. She reviewed the plan with the rest of the crew—and the backup plan, and the backup plan for the backup plan.**

"Never mind! False alarm, people! This is our Annabeth!" Travis snickered. 

"Yeah," Percy said, smiling fondly. "Who else would make a backup plan for a backup plan?"

"Someone who's on a life-or-death quest." Annabeth said, she could help but grin at Percy. "How else are we supposed to survive without one?"

The daughter of Athena tried not to think about her future encounter with the Romans. She had spent last night looking up as much Roman culture and gods she could find in the Athena Cabin bookshelf. They embarrassingly didn't have enough to tell her much, other than the basics. How much does future Annabeth know about the Romans? Did she know more or less? Is it possible that Annabeth was missing something that her future self already knew?

The daughter of Athena bit her lip.

**Most important, she pulled aside their war-crazed chaperon, Coach Gleeson Hedge,**

"Wait, he's here too?" Annabeth groaned.

Biting back a yawn, Leo shrugged. "Chiron thought we'd need a chaperon at the last minute, and Coach Hedge volunteered. I guess he was the only one was willing to go on short notice."

"Great. As if making peace with the Romans wasn't going to be hard enough." she grumbled. "I should leave him on the ship. Maybe I could tell him to keep guard or something..."

**and encouraged him to take the morning off in his cabin and watch reruns of mixed martial arts championships.**

"Looks like Future Annabeth was already way ahead of you." Connor snickered.

Annabeth blinked. "Oh... um... that works too."

Eyes fluttering, Leo brushed his hair back.

**...Everything seemed to be in order. Even that mysterious chill she'd been feeling since the ship launched had dissipated, at least for now.**

The demigods blinked.

"Mysterious chill?" Percy asked, worriedly frowning. "What are you talking about?" 

"I don't know..." Annabeth frowned.

She couldn't help but feel a flare of annoyance at that. 

One thing that Leo had over her in this 'reading your thoughts' situation, is that he already knew what was going to happen. He was always so quick to assure people things were going to be alright in seemly hopeless situations or was unsurprised when he would think of something so dark or ridiculous (embarrassed, maybe, but still unsurprised). She wished she had that advantage, or have Future Annabeth with her. It felt so surreal to be told actions and feelings she hadn't even thought of yet. It was almost like an out-of-body experience.

"I could be nervous or it could be the change of the temperature. The temperature change would it explain why it's described as 'mysterious'." she muttered.

**...What if this was a bad idea? What if the Romans panicked and attacked them on sight?**

The readers tensed. 

"We'll be fine." Leo told them. "I sent them the video scroll, remember?"

"Right, besides, they won't attack if they see Jason on board." Percy added.

"Not unless they see him as a traitor." Athena remarked.

Leo scowled at her.

"They aren't going to attack us." he said more firmly.

**The Argo II definitely did not look friendly. Two hundred feet long, with a bronze-plated hull, mounted repeating crossbows fore and aft, a flaming metal dragon for a figurehead, and two rotating ballistae amidships that could fire explosive bolts powerful enough to blast through concrete...well, it wasn't the most appropriate ride for a meet-and-greet with the neighbors.**

"But it's the best war ship for the quest!" Leo bragged. Hephaestus, Nyssa, and Jake took in the description in awe.

"We made it to the deadline." Jake said in disbelief.

"Yup." Leo said, swinging his legs back and forth. "It took a lot of hard work, but we did it! Great job, team!"

The Hephaestus kids shared a smile.

**Annabeth had tried to give the Romans a heads-up. She'd asked Leo to send one of his special inventions—a holographic scroll—to alert their friends inside the camp.**

" **Hopefully the message had gotten through. Leo had wanted to paint a giant message on the bottom of the hull— _WASSUP?_ with a smiley face—** _Pfffttt!"_ Connor and Travis started laughing.

Annabeth stopped herself short from smacking her forehead. "Really Leo? We're about to make history by becoming allies with our greatest enemies, and you want to draw a smiley face at the bottom of the hull? Do you realize how serious this is?"

"I do! That's why I suggested it!" Leo said, snickering. "Like you said, the _Argo II_ doesn't look very friendly, so I thought it would be a good idea to draw the smiley face. Ya'know to help diffuse the situation!"

"I don't think the Romans have your sense of humor." Annabeth deadpanned. "Don't forget they're more serious than we are."

"I think it's a great idea!" Apollo chuckled.

"Of course you would." Artemis rolled her eyes.

**but Annabeth vetoed the idea. She wasn't sure the Romans had a sense of humor.**

Annabeth blinked again. Okay this was getting weird. 

 _At least it's manageable._ she thought. She'd rather take these awkward moments than half the things Leo had to listen to, especially the memories about his childhood.

 _That was horrible._ she couldn't help but remember the pained look on his face. She hoped she never would have to go through anything as emotionally draining as that chapter.

**...On the stern quarterdeck, Leo rushed around like a madman, checking his gauges and wrestling levers. Most helmsmen would've been satisfied with a pilot's wheel or a tiller. Leo had also installed a keyboard, monitor, aviation controls from a Learjet, a dubstep soundboard, and motion-control sensors from a Nintendo Wii. He could turn the ship by pulling on the throttle, fire weapons by sampling an album, or raise sails by shaking his Wii controllers really fast...**

Annabeth listened to the description with a concerned frown.

"This is great and all." she said slowly. "But won't so many controllers make you lose track of what does what? I can't imagine this being easy for someone flying on their first try."

"You and Coach Hedge manage just fine." Leo told her. 

She made a face. _I will?_   She already forgot what the Wii remote does.

Leo must've seen her self-doubt, because he was quick to reassure her.

"It's easy when you get the hang of it. It's better to learn just by doing it, instead of memorizing." he eagerly turned to his siblings and went into more details about other controls. 

"-And if you type 'LOL' on the keyboard, you can electrocute random seats in the mess hall-"

"Why would you want to do that?" Percy interrupted.

Leo, Hermes, and the Stolls simultaneously gave him eerily similar mischievous smiles in response.

"Never mind." Percy said, deciding he didn't want to know. _I get the feeling half of Travis' plans are going to involve Katie anyway._

**Piper paced back and forth between the mainmast and the ballistae, practicing her lines.**

"I'm sure she'll do just fine." Lacy smiled.

Drew snorted.

**"Lower your weapons," she murmured. "We just want to talk."**

**Her charmspeak was so powerful, the words flowed over Annabeth, filling her with the desire to drop her dagger and have a nice long chat.**

Aphrodite smiled proudly. _The Romans wouldn't know what hit them._

**...Today she was dressed in tattered jeans, worn-out sneakers, and a white tank top with pink Hello Kitty designs. (Maybe as a joke, though Annabeth could never be sure with Piper.)**

"It was probably a joke." Leo said.

"How is that a joke?" Lacy asked with a slight frown. "What's so funny about wearing Hello Kitty?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Piper's weird like that sometimes."

Leo went through his tool belt.

 **T** **hen there was Piper's boyfriend—Jason. He stood at the bow on the raised crossbow platform, where the Romans could easily spot him. His knuckles were white on the hilt of his golden sword.**

"Really? He's still got the golden sword?" Thalia groaned. "At this point, I'm just waiting for it to explode."

**Otherwise he looked calm for a guy who was making himself a target.**

Thalia winced. "Did you really have to word it like that?"

"Sorry." Annabeth said, but she didn't sound very apologetic. How was she supposed to control what she was thinking? She didn't even know what her future self was going to do at this point.

 _Is this kinda how Leo felt?_ she wondered, glancing at the boy.

Leo was slumped in his chair, obviously trying to stay awake (what was he even doing in the attic?) He seemed to be doodling in his notebook.

The son of Hephaestus yawned. His eyes closed without his permission before he pinched himself. Leo jolted up.

Hephaestus eyed the boy with concern.

**Over his jeans and orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, he'd donned a toga and a purple cloak—symbols of his old rank as praetor.**

"Where'd he get that?" Travis frowned.

"I dunno. He said he found it in his cabin. Must've been given to him by Hera's Roman side." Leo guessed. 

"It's a good idea for him to be wearing both at the same time." Annabeth said. "It's a good representation of unity."

"Did you ever find out what praetor means?" Percy asked. 

"Oh yeah!" she said. She was so focused on what her future self was doing, she forgot to tell the others."It's basically like a consul, only a lower level. It's kinda like how we're camp counselors but we still have to answer to Chiron and Mr. D."

**...Annabeth tried to hide it, but she still didn't completely trust the guy.**

"Yeah, I had a feeling you didn't." Leo said, making a face. That was something both past and future Annabeth shared. While it took Leo a long time to convince past Annabeth to trust Jason and the Romans as a whole, he never confronted future Annabeth about this distrust. Not that she would admit to having it in the first place.

"What?" Thalia said in disbelief. She gave Annabeth a disapproving look, not much different from a sibling catching the younger doing something she shouldn't. "How could you not trust Jason? What more does he have to prove to you that he's trustworthy? He already saved Hera _and_ he even helped Leo stop the Maenads from destroying the Camp!"

"I don't even know why future me doesn't trust Jason." Annabeth said, keeping her eyes down as she played with her necklace. "but I do now." At least, more than she originally did. She still felt she had a lot to learn about the son of Jupiter and that was saying something considering she just finished reading a book full of his thoughts.

 "Good." the daughter of Zeus said. She really wanted Jason and Annabeth to get along. They were two of the most important people in her life.

**He acted too perfect—always following the rules, always doing the honorable thing.**

Thalia blinked as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"And that's a _bad_ thing?" she said. "He had to follow the rules and be honorable, if he didn't, Lupa would've killed him."

"You're right." Annabeth meekly agreed, she held her dad's college ring.

Without realizing it, Leo's eyes fell closed.

**He even looked too perfect.**

"He can't help how he looks, Annabeth." Thalia sighed, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. _Now she's just looking for reasons to hate him..._

 **In the back of her mind, she had a nagging thought: What if this is a trick and he betrays us?** **What if we sail into Camp Jupiter, and he says, _Hey, Romans! Check out these prisoners and this cool ship I brought you!_**

"Okay, now you're just being silly." Thalia huffed. "He would never do something like that."

"I know." the daughter of Athena agreed.

**Annabeth doubted that would happen. Still, she couldn't look at him without getting a bitter taste in her mouth. He'd been part of Hera's forced "exchange program" to introduce the two camps. Her Most Annoying Majesty, Queen of Olympus,**

Despite the glare he was getting from said goddess, Hermes laughed. "Good one, Annabeth!"

"That's not his fault." Thalia told Annabeth. "He isn't happy about the arrangement either."

"I know that now." she said.

**had convinced the other gods that their two sets of children—Roman and Greek—had to combine forces to save the world from the evil goddess Gaea, who was awakening from the earth, and her horrible children the giants.**

**Without warning, Hera had plucked up Percy Jackson, Annabeth's boyfriend, wiped his memory, and sent him to the Roman camp.**

Poseidon and Annabeth grimaced. 

Percy comfortingly rubbed Annabeth's shoulder.

Leo's head snapped up. Realizing he fell asleep, he shook his head and wiped his eyes.

He ate some of the crackers Will gave him.

**In exchange, the Greeks had gotten Jason. None of that was Jason's fault; but every time Annabeth saw him, she remembered how much she missed Percy.**

"I bet I miss you too, Wise Girl." Percy told her.

 _How can you? Hera stole all your memories. Are you even the same person you are now?_ Annabeth forced herself to smile at him.

**Percy...who was somewhere below them right now.**

**_Oh, gods._ Panic welled up inside her. She forced it down. She couldn't afford to get overwhelmed.**

**_I'm a child of Athena,_ she told herself. _I have to stick to my plan and not get distracted._**

Percy smiled at that. "I'm a distraction?"

Annabeth playfully rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding me? You're the biggest distraction I've ever met."

She smiled and bumped his shoulder with hers.

" **She felt it again—that familiar shiver, as if a psychotic snowman had crept up behind her and was breathing down her neck.** _Oh my gods! A what?!"_ Connor laughed.

"Who says that?" Travis said in between his laughter. 

"Percy! It's obvious he's infecting her with his weirdness." Connor snickered.

"I can overexaggerate too." Annabeth rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but wonder. _Why am I mentioning that chill again?_

Leo played with the buttons on his jacket.

**She turned, but no one was there. Must be her nerves. Even in a world of gods and monsters, Annabeth couldn't believe a new warship would be haunted. The Argo II was well protected.**

_You'd think that but..._ Leo trailed off with a scowl.

**Annabeth wished she could pray to her mother for guidance, but that wasn't possible now. Not after last month, when she'd had that horrible encounter with her mom and gotten the worst present of her life....**

Annabeth felt her breath hitch. The others stared back at her sympathetically. Percy frowned worriedly and held her close.

"You okay?" he muttered in her ear.

Forcing herself to be expressionless, she gave him the faintest nod.

 _Don't overreact._ she told herself sternly. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. _You still don't know what this 'worst present' is. It might not be as bad as you think..._

Despite her thoughts, she couldn't calm down. _What was so bad about that present? What did Mother give me?  Why can't future Annabeth just tell us what it is?!_  

She really wished Future Annabeth was here. Leo was sweet, but she needed answers.

She squeezed her necklace.

Having a feeling what she gave Annabeth had gotten, Athena nodded her head in approval. _I couldn't have picked a better person._

Annabeth was resourceful and able to adapt to even the most difficult situations. She had proven herself on her journey to Camp Half-Blood and had further proven her capabilities during the Titans' War. If anyone could find the  _Athena Parthenos,_ it was Annabeth. 

She will not fail.

**The cold pressed closer. She thought she heard a faint voice in the wind, laughing.**

Leo, Annabeth, and a few other demigods shuddered.

"What is that?" the daughter of Athena whispered to herself.

**...She almost ordered Leo to reverse course.**

_I wish Annabeth had told me to turn around._ Leo thought, frowning miserably. _We could've just Iris-messaged Percy, Frank, and Hazel, and told them to met us at a nearby town or something._

**Then, in the valley below, horns sounded. The Romans had spotted them.**

The demigods perked up at that.

"I wonder what's it going to look like!" Lacy couldn't help but say excitedly. She bounced up and down in her chair.

"I bet I'm right." Connor grinned. 

Annabeth tried to take her mind off of her mother's present by focusing on what the Roman Camp looked like.

**...Ringed by the Oakland Hills, the valley was at least twice the size of Camp Half-Blood.**

**A small river snaked around one side and curled toward the center like a capital letter G, emptying into a sparkling blue lake.**

**Directly below the ship, nestled at the edge of the lake, the city of New Rome gleamed in the sunlight.** Connor blinked.

The demigods' eyes were as wide as saucers. They were completely motionless as they listened to the description in stunned silence.

Leo was just smiling at their reactions.

"I told you it was a city." he said.

As if he said the magic words, the demigods snapped out of their trance and began to eagerly talk at once.

" _Oh my gods!"_ Lacy gasped in surprise, her arms were flapping around like she had no idea how they worked. "They have a city!"

"But how?!" Katie asked. "How are they so big and we're..."

"Not even big enough to be considered a colony." Travis finished, scratching his head. "I dunno. I'm just wondering how they fight off the monsters. They must have attacks every other day."

Annabeth's jaw was still open. She had dreamed of a demigod city all her life, and here it was right in California, right under her nose. How could she have missed it?! What kind of magic did they use to hide it? When was it made? How long did it take to make? 

"How come they have a city but we don't?" Mitchell complained. "Don't get me wrong, I love Camp Half-Blood! And still do! But how come we have to risk our lives everyday to have a normal life while they can do that safely in their city?"

Some of the demigods grumbled in agreement. Once you reached eighteen, you were pretty much on your own. Campers (if they were still alive) could come back and work as a staff member, but that wasn't the same.

 "We're not big enough for a city." Annabeth reminded.

"But _why?"_ Travis stressed. "Why are we so much smaller than we are? Are Roman gods hooking up with humans around the clock? What's going on?"

"And I thought Hermes had a lot of kids..." Connor muttered, blinking owlishly. "How many kids does Mercury have?"

Connor shook his head in disbelief before he continued reading.

**She recognized landmarks**

"Landmarks...? They have landmarks?  We don't even have that anymore. We lost Zeus's Poop Pile last year." Mitchell complained out loud.

"Zeus's _what?!"_ said god thundered. The demigods jumped. They had been so focused on the city, they forgot the gods were still there.

"Oh... _uh... Nothing!_ It was a mistake!" _I didn't mean for you to actually hear that!_ Mitchell hurriedly said. "S-Sorry M'Lord!"

"Make sure it never happens again." the god warned in a deep growl.

The boy gulped and quickly nodded his head. "I will..."

 _That's what Zeus' Fist was supposed to look like!_ Leo bit back his laughter.

**Jason had told her about—the hippodrome, the coliseum,**

"They have an actual coliseum?!" Connor gasped before eagerly reading more.

**the temples and parks, the neighborhood of Seven Hills with its winding streets, colorful villas, and flowering gardens.**

**She saw evidence of the Romans' recent battle with an army of monsters.**

The readers looked confused at that.

"I'll explain later." Leo assured them. He wiped his eyes. "I wanna see if the book's going to tell us first."

**The dome was cracked open on a building she guessed was the Senate House.**

"They even have their form of government!" Chris said. "How can bunch of teenagers _do_ that?"

"They're not all teenagers." Leo explained. "It's basically like a regular city, they got babies, kids, adults, elders..."

"How does this even function?" Percy said, still in awe. He never imagined a world were you can be a demigod and live a normal life. He didn't like to think about it, but he always assumed that he would always be running from monsters or would eventually die before he went to college. Heck, he hadn't even expected to live past his sixteenth birthday. Now here Leo is, telling them all that it was possible for a demigod to live until they were elderly.

He thought being as old as Daedalus was impossible, especially for a kid of the Big Three.

He suddenly felt overwhelmed with a surge of hope. If that was possible... Maybe he and Annabeth could...

 _What am I thinking?!_ he stopped himself. He felt his face turn red. _We literally just started dating yesterday, I can't be thinking about stuff like that! It's weird!_

He forced himself to pay attention to the book before his thoughts could get any stranger.

**...Dozens of kids in togas were streaming out of the Senate House to get a better view of the Argo II.**

**...About half a mile to the west, where the horns were blowing, a Roman fort stood on a hill. It looked just like the illustrations Annabeth had seen in military history books—with a defensive trench lined with spikes, high walls, and watchtowers armed with scorpion ballistae. Inside, perfect rows of white barracks lined the main road—the Via Principalis.**

_Wow..._ Annabeth said, eyes still wide in awe.

 **A column of demigods emerged from the gates, their armor and spears glinting as they hurried toward the city. In the midst of their ranks was an actual war elephant.** Connor gasped. 

"They have a war elephant?!" The Stoll exclaimed.

"Why are the Romans getting all the cool stuff!" Travis complained. "Why can't we have a mascot?!"

"I mean, we got Mrs. O'Leary." Percy said. "She's kinda like the Camp's mascot."

The Stolls frowned at him.

"Hardly." Connor said. 

"She's more your pet than anyone else's." Travis agreed. "We just take care of her until the summer."

"We need to explain to Chiron all the reasons why we need a camp elephant and how it would be beneficial to Camp Half-Blood!" Connor said firmly. 

His brother nodded in agreement.

**Annabeth wanted to land the Argo II before those troops arrived, but the ground was still several hundred feet below. She scanned the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of Percy.**

**Then something behind her went _BOOM!_**

The demigods immediately snapped out of their awe and stiffened.

The gods grimaced.

"I knew this was going to happen." Athena smiled.

"What's happening?!" Thalia demanded.

"They're being attacked!" Clarisse scowled.

"They haven't even gotten off the ship and the Romans are already attacking them." Hermes grimaced.

"So much for the video scroll." Jake muttered.

Before the readers could fully panic, Leo was quick to diffuse the situation.

"We're _not_ being attacked!" he yelled, over the beginnings of a meltdown. 

Everyone turned to him.

" _Geez,_ I know you guys are nervous, but could you at least _try_ to let me explain things before you freak out?" Leo told them.

"If you're not being attacked, what was _that?"_ Nico asked.

"Terminus." Leo said, as if that explained everything.

Apparently it did for the gods and the son of Hades.

"Oh." Nico said, relaxing slightly.

Annabeth frowned at that, before turning to Leo.

"What is Terminus?" she asked.

" _Who_ is Terminus." Apollo corrected.

"Terminus is the city's guard." Poseidon explained. "He is the Roman god of boundaries."

"Apparently he has a strict 'no weapons' policy." Leo shrugged. He rocked his chair back.

**...She whirled and found herself eye to eye with an angry statue.**

**"Unacceptable!" he shrieked.**

**Apparently he had exploded into existence, right there on the deck. Sulfurous yellow smoke rolled off his shoulders. Cinders popped around his curly hair. From the waist down, he was nothing but a square marble pedestal. From the waist up, he was a muscular human figure in a carved toga.**

_Do the Romans have automations like the ones in New York?_ Percy wondered. He instantly thought back to Pompona.

**"I will not have weapons inside the Pomerian Line!" he announced in a fussy teacher voice. "I certainly will not have Greeks!"**

Athena narrowed her eyes.

"Wow. Thanks for the welcome." Connor said sarcastically.

The other demigods grumbled in agreement.

"He's old-school, you know how stubborn the gods can be." Leo told the demigods. Said gods huffed at that. "The Roman demigods are more openminded."

"That's the worst first impression I've ever seen." Katie frowned. "If they really want an alliance with us, why would they let someone like _Terminus_ be the first person you meet?"

Leo hesitated at the question. _You just had to show up, didn't you Terminus?_

"He's basically the 'Coach Hedge' of the Roman Camp." Leo explained.

Leo wasn't exactly sure how much Terminus and Coach Hedge were alike or if they were at all, but it worked. The demigods winced in understanding.

**Jason shot Annabeth a look that said, _I've got this._**

**"Terminus," he said. "It's me. Jason Grace."**

**"Oh, I remember you, Jason!" Terminus grumbled. "I thought you had better sense than to consort with the enemies of Rome!"**

No longer feeling threatened or taking the god seriously, some of the demigods rolled their eyes.

**"But they're not enemies—"**

**"That's right," Piper jumped in.**

Aphrodite frowned. "Now's not a good time, sweetie."

**"We just want to talk. If we could—"**

**"Ha!" snapped the statue. "Don't try that charmspeak on me, young lady. And put down that dagger before I slap it out of your hands!"** Connor frowned and silently reread the statue's description.

"With what? Your head? You don't even have hands!" he laughed.

**"Um...okay. But how would you slap it? You don't have any arms."**

Travis and Connor laughed at that.

**"Impertinence!" There was a sharp POP and a flash of yellow. Piper yelped and dropped the dagger, which was now smoking and sparking.**

**"Lucky for you I've just been through a battle," Terminus announced. "If I were at full strength, I would've blasted this flying monstrosity out of the sky already!"**

**"Hold up." Leo stepped forward, wagging his Wii controller. "Did you just call my ship a monstrosity? I know you didn't do that."**

"We've spent six long months working on that ship!" Leo said. "There was no way I was going to let him call it that."

**The idea that Leo might attack the statue with his gaming device was enough to snap Annabeth out of her shock.**

"I would've paid good money to see that." Hermes chuckled.

**"Let's all calm down." She raised her hands to show she had no weapons. "I take it you're Terminus, the god of boundaries.**

Annabeth's eyes widened in fear. Future Annabeth already knew that before she did? How far behind was she in her Roman studies? What did her future self know? What did she not know that she should have beforehand?

The daughter of Athena never felt more clueless than she did reading this chapter.

**Jason told me you protect the city of New Rome, right? I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of—"**

**"Oh, I know who _you_ are!"...** 

Leo winced. _Shut up Terminus!_

Nico just silently grimaced.

Annabeth blinked in surprise.

"What?" she said furrowing her eyebrows.  **  
**

**"A child of _Athena_ , Minerva's Greek form. Scandalous! ** **You Greeks have no sense of decency. We Romans know the proper place for that goddess."**

The demigods' jaws dropped.

 _"Excuse me?! That goddess?! PROPER PLACE?!"_ Athena roared, her form shifting from Roman to Greek. 

"His words! Not mine!" Connor clarified. He quickly hid his face behind the book as if it would shield him from the death glares he was getting. "I don't know what the Hades his problem is!"

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" Annabeth demanded through gritted teeth. Percy glared at the book as if it was Terminus himself.

"Please ignore him! He doesn't represent the Roman people!" Leo near begged. 

"What did he mean by my existence being scandalous?!" Annabeth angrily asked him. "What's wrong with being a child of Athena?!"

"There's nothing _wrong_ with it..." Leo said. "It's just that... er... Athena's Roman form doesn't have brain children, so he's just... _surprised_ to see you?" he winced at his own choice of words. _Surprised? Really? Did that sound 'surprised' to you?_

Well it was better than 'disgusted'.

Finally staying in her Greek form, the goddess scowled.

"It's blatant disrespect like this that is why I refuse to bless the Roman people with my children."She turned to the demigods. "You see how this deity treats your people? This is the same creature these people worship! They _worship_ these ideals!"

"No they don't!" Leo told them. "Look, remember the reason why we're doing this, okay? Gaea will kill us all if we don't stay together."

"How will they want to work with me if they think I'm some kind of freak?" Annabeth asked.

"They won't think you're a freak." Leo told her. Inside his head he was silently pleading to the Roman people: _Whatever you do. Don't ask if she has a bellybutton. Please for the love of all gods, don't do that to me._

Annabeth glared at the book one more time. 

"We need to remember the giants." she said, more telling herself than Leo. "We need to work together to beat them."

"Right!" Leo agreed.

The daughter of Athena took a deep breath before letting it go. "Alright, let's keep reading."

**[Annabeth]... "What exactly do you mean, that goddess? And what's so scandalous about—"**

**"Right!" Jason interrupted. "Anyway, Terminus, we're here on a mission of peace. We'd love permission to land so we can—"**

**"Impossible!" the god squeaked. "Lay down your weapons and surrender! Leave my city immediately!"**

"Which one do you want? Surrender or leave?" Percy said, rolling his eyes. He had it with this stupid statue.

**..."Both!" Terminus said. "Surrender, then leave. I am slapping your face for asking such a stupid question, you ridiculous boy! Do you feel that?"**

"Uh-huh. Sure." Percy said flatly.

**"Wow." Leo studied Terminus with professional interest. "You're wound up pretty tight. You got any gears in there that need loosening? I could take a look."**

"He's not a machine, boy. If he was, we would've fixed him a long time ago." Hephaestus muttered.

"Or tossed him in the dump." Hermes added.

**"Stop that!" Terminus insisted. Another small explosion made Leo drop his screwdriver. "Weapons are not allowed on Roman soil inside the Pomerian Line."**

**"The what?" Piper asked.**

**"City limits," Jason translated.**

**"And this entire ship is a weapon!" Terminus said. "You cannot land!"**

"Great, now what?" Travis complained.

**Down in the valley, the legion reinforcements were halfway to the city. The crowd in the forum was over a hundred strong now.**

The readers winced.

"It's okay." Leo told them. He took his pen out of his pocket.

Leo twirled it in his hand.

**Annabeth scanned the faces and...oh, gods. She saw him.**

Poseidon perked up at this.

Annabeth sat up straighter.

"Percy?" she whispered hopefully under her breath.

 **He was walking toward the ship with his arms around two other kids like they were best buddies—** Connor made a face. "Who are these guys?"

The other demigods blinked, unsure how they should feel about this. On one hand, they were happy to hear the son of Poseidon was alive and well. On another hand, how much did he remember? Did he know who were on the war ship and why they were there?

**a stout boy with a black buzz cut,**

"That's Frank Zhang!" Leo said, trying to sound cheerful, despite the uneasy looks from the demigods. "He's the son of Mars, that's the Roman version of Ares!"

Poseidon cleared his throat.

Leo glanced at the god. "Huh? Oh yeah! He's also a descendent of Poseidon! He's pretty cool. He knows archery and can shapeshift too!"

That last part got the demigods attention.

"Shapeshift?" Clarisse frowned. "That's not a child of Ares ability."

"It's not a child of Mars ability either." Leo shrugged. "I don't know how he got it. I think it has something to do with his family tree or whatever, but he can turn into all sorts of animals." 

**and a girl wearing a Roman cavalry helmet.**

Annabeth frowned.

"Who's she?" she asked, eyes narrowing.

"That's Hazel Levesque!" Leo said, unable to keep the fondness out of his voice. "She's the daughter of Pluto, that's the Roman version of Hades! She's been recently resurrected, so she's still new to the 21st century, but worry not! I, Leo Valdez, have taken her under my wing and am determined to catch her up to speed! We're still learning about pop culture and chicken nuggets, but I think she's coming along gre-"

"Resurrected?" Percy interrupted. "Wait. Did she come from the Doors of Death?"

"Um..." Leo dared a quick glance at Nico. 

The son of Hades' eyes widened in alarm before he slightly shook his head.

 _Dude. You're just going to make it worse on yourself when they find out._ Leo suppressed the urge to sigh. "Not exactly. Anyways, she's able to control precious gems and metals. She's also really good at riding a horse. Frank and her are dating, just a FYI." 

Annabeth relaxed at that.

"I'm guessing they're coming with us on the quest." she said.

"Yup." Leo said. "They'll be really useful and they're fun to hang out with." _Especially now that our weird love triangle thing is over._ Leo tried not to make a face at. _Or love rectangle._

He shuddered at the thought of Sammy and Hazel dating. 

**...He wore a purple cape just like Jason's—the mark of a praetor.**

"Figures, Percy found a way to become the leader." Nico smiled and rolled his eyes.

The demigods looked made faces at that.

"But why would he be praetor if he knew he was Greek?" Katie asked. "Wouldn't he turn down the position of leadership if he knew he had to come back to Camp Half-Blood?"

Annabeth grimaced at that question.

**Annabeth's heart did a gymnastics routine.**

Aphrodite and her daughters giggled.

Annabeth chose to ignore them.

**"Leo, stop the ship," she ordered.**

**"What?"**

**"You heard me. Keep us right where we are." Leo pulled out his controller and yanked it upward. All ninety oars froze in place. The ship stopped sinking.**

**"Terminus," Annabeth said, "there's no rule against hovering over New Rome, is there?"**

**The statue frowned. "Well, no..."**

**"We can keep the ship aloft," Annabeth said. "We'll use a rope ladder to reach the forum. That way, the ship won't be on Roman soil. Not technically."**

**The statue seemed to ponder this...**

**"I like technicalities," he admitted.**

"Great, then you won't mind this." Percy said.

**"Still..."**

**"All our weapons will stay aboard the ship," Annabeth promised. "I assume the Romans—even those reinforcements marching toward us—will also have to honor your rules inside the Pomerian Line if you tell them to?"**

**"Of course!" Terminus said. "Do I look like I tolerate rule breakers?"**

**"Uh, Annabeth..." Leo said. "You sure this is a good idea?"**

"It's better than nothing." Annabeth murmured.

**She closed her fists to keep them from shaking. That cold feeling was still there. It floated just behind her, and now that Terminus was no longer shouting and causing explosions, she thought she could hear the presence laughing, as if it was delighted by the bad choices she was making.**

Annabeth stiffened. _Seriously what is that?  Is it just in my head? How come the others haven't said they heard anything?_

Clicking his pen, Leo grimaced.

**But Percy was down there...he was so close. She had to reach him.**

_I've got to see how he's doing and how much he remembers._ Annabeth thought desperately. _The plan doesn't sound that bad. We both will be on the ground without any weapons and we could peacefully discuss forming an alliance._

She still couldn't help but feel uneasy, but she ignored the feeling. _I have Leo and the others with me, I'll fine. I have to see Percy._

**"It'll be fine," she said. "No one will be armed. We can talk in peace. Terminus will make sure each side obeys the rules." She looked at the marble statue.**

Annabeth nodded along with this. 

**"Do we have an agreement?"**

**Terminus sniffed. "I suppose. For now. You may climb down your ladder to New Rome, daughter of Athena. _Please_ try not to destroy my town."**

"No promises." Leo muttered under his breath.

"Finished." Connor said, causing Annabeth to sigh with relief.

She couldn't but feel a sense of pride that managed to get through the whole chapter despite what she heard. 

 _I can do this._ she told herself. _Just one more chapter, and I'll even get to hear about Percy!_

She felt her heart race at that.

"Who wants to read next?"

"I will." Chris volunteered.

" **Annabeth II** ," 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	2. Annabeth II

" **Annabeth II** ," Chris read.

**A sea of hastily assembled demigods parted for Annabeth as she walked through the forum.**

Annabeth felt her heart racing. She could barely sit still as she listened in anticipation.

Finally, she can find out how Percy's been doing at the Roman Camp (or Camp Jupiter as it's apparently called).

Percy had been trying to put the brave face on for Annabeth and his father, but his nervousness was starting to peek through the cracks. It had been a relief to hear that Hazel was just a friend and not a girlfriend (he wouldn't be able forgive himself if he had been dating someone at the Roman Camp), but it didn't solve all of his problems. How much did he remember? Is he even the same person? What would he do now that he was praetor? How did he even become praetor?

He tried not to let these questions distract him as he focused on the story.

**...No one attacked.**

"So far so good." Hermes muttered.

**Entire families had gathered to see the newcomers.**

The demigods' eyes widened.

"Wait. Demigod families exist?" Percy said slowly.

The fact that the children looked so shocked made their parents' hearts clench.

Clicking his pen, Leo frowned. "Um... Yeah? Demigods can have kids, that's how Frank became a descendent of Poseidon." _Did nobody ever tell them this...?_

"I've never heard of something like this happening." Annabeth said. Leo blinked in surprise. "I always thought being a child of demigod would be extremely rare, because we usually don't live very long." she muttered that last part, but everyone heard it.

A few people gave her looks of understanding.

The gods shifted uncomfortably.

"...Oh." Leo said lamely with a grimace.

Connor cleared his throat and tried to change the conversation.

"What would they even be called? I mean, they're technically demigods, but they're a second generation. So they'd be, what, _semi_ gods?" he asked.

"Legacies." Hermes corrected.

**...At Camp Half-Blood, most demigods were teens. If they survived long enough to graduate from high school, they either stayed on as counselors or left to start lives as best they could in the mortal world.**

**Here, it was an entire multigenerational community.**

"Living in a city like that would make life so much easier." Katie said wistfully.

"I still can't believe nobody thought to make a city for the Greeks." Mitchell said. "Yeah I get that it wouldn't work now, because we're a small group, but there was a lot of us before. Why couldn't we just have made a city then?"

"Maybe because they wanted to live with the mortals." Percy said. 

"A lot good that did them..." the son of Aphrodite grumbled.

**At the far end of the crowd, Annabeth spotted Tyson the Cyclops and Percy's hellhound, Mrs. O'Leary—who had been the first scouting party from Camp Half-Blood to reach Camp Jupiter.**

Poseidon smiled.

Percy and Annabeth perked up at that.

"If Tyson's there, he must've told me about who I was." he smiled, feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders.

The other demigods smiled with him.

 **...Some part of Annabeth's mind registered how beautiful the city was—the smells from the bakeries,** **the gurgling fountains, the flowers blooming in the gardens. And the architecture...gods, the architecture—gilded marble columns, dazzling mosaics, monumental arches, and terraced villas.**

"Wow..." Annabeth muttered in awe.

Athena looked unimpressed.

"I'm sure you'll do better when you're remaking Olympus." the goddess told her daughter.

**In front of her, the demigods made way for a girl in full Roman armor and a purple cape. Dark hair tumbled across her shoulders. Her eyes were as black as obsidian.**

_**Reyna.** _

The members of the Aphrodite Cabin tensed.

"It's the moment of truth." Lacy whispered under her breath.

"Who really is she to Jason?" one of her sisters muttered.

"It's not like it matters." another huffed. "Jason's dating _Piper_ now." 

Her siblings nodded and muttered in agreement.

The other demigods were tense for different reasons.

 _Reyna._ Annabeth remembered Jason mentioning this girl from his dreams. The purple cape must mean she's a praetor too. 

 _She's the person who's first impression really counts._ the daughter of Athena thought.

She turned to Leo, expecting him to give some brief description like he did with Frank and Hazel.

Instead, she found him biting his lip and refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

Annabeth frowned at that. 

"Did she work with Jason?" she asked.

Leo glanced up at her before he started scribbling on his arm.

"Yeah, She's a praetor too. Her and Jay were pretty close friends." he said. _Probably not so much anymore now that he's best buddies with the same guy who attacked New Rome..._

Leo fought back a grimace.

 _Gods, how do I even explain that one?_ he inwardly groaned. _'Yeah! Ignore Athena! Greeks and Romans can get along and be the bestest of friends! Hey, let's read how I fired a ballistae at their city!'_  

He found himself rolling his eyes and sighing. _Even when they find out about the stupid eidolon, Athena's still going to have a field day._

He wiped his eye with the back of his hand, smudging ink on his face.

**...Annabeth recognized something else in her face, too—in the hard set of her mouth and the deliberate way she raised her chin like she was ready to accept any challenge. Reyna was forcing a look of courage, while holding back a mixture of hopefulness and worry and fear that she couldn't show in public.**

**Annabeth knew that expression. She saw it every time she looked in a mirror.**

**The two girls considered each other.**

Annabeth could only hope she would make a good first impression.

**...Then someone else appeared from the crowd, and Annabeth's vision tunneled.**

"Wonder who could that be?" Aphrodite giggled.

**Percy smiled at her—that sarcastic, troublemaker smile that had annoyed her for years but eventually had become endearing.**

" _Awww!_ " the goddess of love cooed.

Some of the demigods snickered.

Annabeth gave them a small embarrassed smile.

 _It was bound to happen eventually._ she told herself. _These are my thoughts._

**His sea-green eyes were as gorgeous as she remembered.**

More people were starting to snicker.

Coos were starting to come from the Aphrodite Cabin.

Annabeth's smile started to waver.

On his part, Percy's face was starting to turn red. His eyes were wide, but he stayed silent. Annabeth guessed it was because he had no idea what to say or because _everyone_ was listening.

 _Gods!_ Even her mother was listening!

Athena was sitting stiffly in her throne. Her eyebrows were raised to her hairline and her mouth was fixed in a way that screamed she heard more than enough about how handsome Percy Jackson was.

 _Okay, that's enough description now..._ Annabeth's ears began turning red.

**His dark hair was swept to one side, like he'd just come from a walk on the beach.**

" _Oh my gods!_ It's still going!" Connor said, in between his snickers.

"There is such a thing as being _too_ observant, Annabeth." Travis added. 

" _Sh-Shut up!"_ she snapped, ears becoming redder.

Leo took in Annabeth's reaction with a sympathetic frown.

 _Geez, you think this is bad? Wait until they find out about you two sleeping in the stables._ the son of Hephaestus cringed at the thought.

He drew a picture of a horse.

**He looked even better than he had six months ago—tanner and taller, leaner and more muscular.**

" _Di immortals!_ How long is this going to last?!" Nico suddenly snapped.

Feeling another flare of embarrassment, Annabeth scowled. "I don't know! It's not like I can control my thoughts."

An Aphrodite kid nudged her sister.

"Somebody's _jeelll-lllouusss!"_ she sang in her ear.

The two girls quietly giggled.

Annabeth took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

 _I am Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, warrior in the Titans' War._ she reminded herself. _I can handle this. This is nothing._

 **Annabeth was too stunned to move. She felt that if she got any closer to him, all the molecules in her body might combust.** **She'd secretly had a crush on him since they were twelve years old.**

" _Awww!_ " the goddess of love cooed. _Percabeth!_

" _Aww!_ " Connor mimicked. " _Annie_ , you had a crush on Percy since you were twelve? Why didn't you two get together sooner?"

"It was love on first sight? Right Annabeth?" Travis winked.

Annabeth's eye twitched. _How does Nemesis know this?! I never told anyone about my crush!_

The son of Poseidon shifted uncomfortably.

"Y... You really liked me since we were twelve?" Percy said awkwardly, finally speaking. She didn't know if he was looking at her, since she was now determined to glare up at the ceiling.

She stiffly nodded, eyes still fixated on the ceiling. Nemesis had to be watching somewhere up there, just laughing at her embarrassment. Clenching her hands into fists, Annabeth tried to calm down her feelings. She refused to let the goddess get a rise out of her anymore.

Percy swung his legs. He stared at his sneakers, seeming to be considering something, before he turned back to her.

"Ya'know, when I first saw you, I thought you looked like a princess." he blurted out. 

Annabeth's head snapped to look at him. "What?"

He looked further embarrassed when he saw her reaction, but he continued.

"I remember after fighting the Minotaur, I was passing out on the Big House porch." Percy recounted. "But before I could completely fall unconscious, I saw this pretty girl with blond hair curled like a princess's-"

" _Oh my gods..."_ the daughter of Athena giggled. She had been called a princess plenty of times before, they were usually just taunts from people who underestimated her strength, but hearing Percy say that was... cute. It sounded just like something his twelve-year old self would say.  

She felt herself genuinely smile at him.

"Why are you bringing this up? Are you trying to embarrass me too?" she said lightheartedly. 

He must have thought she was serious because he immediately shook his head.

"No! I was just trying to say..." he trailed off. He didn't seem to know how to word it romantically he wanted, so he just gave up and shrugged. "I've had a crush on you since the moment I saw you."

"You could've just said that." she teased. The daughter of Athena kissed him on the lips. Pulling back, she grinned. "Thanks."

Percy grinned back. "Anytime."

Annabeth turned her attention back to the book, now feeling a lot better after her earlier humiliation.

**Last summer, she'd fallen for him hard.**

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "As if our dating didn't show that."

Aphrodite sighed. " _Aw, young love._ "

**They'd been a happy couple for four months—and then he'd disappeared.**

**During their separation, something had happened to Annabeth's feelings. They'd grown painfully intense—like she'd been forced to withdraw from a life-saving medication.**

Athena frowned, unsure what to think her daughter's thoughts. Originally she thought Annabeth would date the son of Poseidon for a brief period of time then break up with him afterwards, but now it appears her feelings for him were stronger than she thought.

"Wow, aren't you being a bit extreme?" Travis chuckled.

Annabeth just brushed it off.

 _That's it? Com'on Nemesis, you'd have to better than that if you want to bother me._ she thought with a faint smug smile.

**...Reyna straightened. With apparent reluctance, she turned toward Jason.**

**"Jason Grace, my former colleague..." She spoke the word colleague like it was a dangerous thing.**

Thalia frowned. _I thought she'd be more welcome to him..._

She then remembered how Leo said they _were_ close.

 _Were they on bad terms before Jason left?_ she wondered.

**"I welcome you home. And these, your friends—"**

**Annabeth didn't mean to, but she surged forward. Percy rushed toward her at the same time.**

"Running into each others arms." Lacy happily sighed. "How romantic!"

**The crowd tensed. Some reached for swords that weren't there.**

**Percy threw his arms around her. They kissed, and for a moment nothing else mattered. An asteroid could have hit the planet and wiped out all life, and Annabeth wouldn't have cared.**

"That's so adorable!" Aphrodite squealed.

Cabin Ten members shrieked in agreement.

"So _romantic!"_ Travis dramatically sighed, fanning himself.

"Who knew Annabeth was so poetic!" Connor agreed, pretending to swoon.

Annabeth's eye twitched, but she chose to again ignore their words. _I can deal with this. I'm not going to let Nemesis get to me. I am Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, warrior-_

**Percy smelled of ocean air. His lips were salty.**

Annabeth cringed so hard, she reared back in her seat.

 _Why was that in there?!_ she mentally screamed.

Percy blinked and subconsciously licked his lips.

The other readers burst out laughing.

" _Gods!_ Please tell me someone is writing this all down!" Travis said, struggling to breathe. "This is too perfect!"

" _His lips are salty!_ Who thinks that?!" Connor wheezed, still laughing.

"Does that come with being a son of Poseidon or is that just a Percy thing?" Lacy giggled.

The other demigods were repeating the words 'salty lips' to each other and laughing harder. 

Annabeth felt her face heat up as she shrank in her seat. _They'll never let me live this down._

"Leo?" she said, grabbing her necklace.

The son of Hephaestus looked up from his doodles.

"Huh?"

She glanced up at the laughing demigods and gods. This wasn't the worst thing she encountered, not by a longshot, but her ego was bruised and her reputation as a 'fearless leader' was reduced to a 'lovesick teenager' in a matter of seconds. Unlike her wounds in battle, no amount of ambrosia or nectar was ever going to heal this.

 _And we're only on chapter two..._ she realized with mild horror

"I'm sorry if I've ever made you feel bad when we were reading your chapters." she told him.

Leo blinked in surprise.

"It's okay, you didn't." he told her. 

"I had a feeling this was going to be hard, but I didn't realize it was going to be _this_ bad." she said to him. She squeezed her dad's college ring tighter. 

"The first chapters are going to be rough, but you'll get used to it." 

"How'd you get used to it?"

"Mostly by talking about it." Leo said, drawing a couple stars on his arm. "Maybe you should try talking to someone, especially a person who's going through a similar situation."

He gave her a meaningful smile.

Annabeth slowly grinned back. "Right, same to you."

This was not going to be easy, but it gave her a little bit of solace to know that she wasn't along.

**_Seaweed_ _Brain,_ she thought giddily.**

"And it just keeps going." Nico muttered with a scowl. "Seriously, didn't this story have a plot?"

**Percy pulled away and studied her face. "Gods, I never thought—"**

**Annabeth grabbed his wrist and flipped him over her shoulder. He slammed into the stone pavement.**

The readers stopped laughing and stared at the book in shock.

"Wow." Travis simply said. 

"Looks like she wasn't kidding about back at you, Percy." Chris observed.

The son of Poseidon didn't wasn't bothered by this, in fact, he just laughed. "Seriously? What happened to punching me in the gut?"

Annabeth smirked. "I guess I wanted to go for something more dramatic. I kinda like it, it really gives you a sample of just how I was feeling the moment you left."

"And scared the crap out of everyone." Leo snickered. "You should've seen poor Hazel's reaction. She practically leapt two feet off the ground."

**Romans cried out. Some surged forward,**

The readers tensed.

**but Reyna shouted, "Hold! Stand down!"**

"That could've ended badly." Will winced.

**Annabeth put her knee on Percy's chest. She pushed her forearm against his throat. She didn't care what the Romans thought. A white-hot lump of anger expanded in her chest—a tumor of worry and bitterness that she'd been carrying around since last autumn.**

**"If you ever leave me again," she said, her eyes stinging, "I swear to all the gods—"**

**Percy had the nerve to laugh.**

Annabeth rolled her eyes, but couldn't bring herself to be annoyed at the reaction. "Same old Percy."

"Don't be like that, we know you love it." Percy grinned.

She couldn't argue with that.

**..."Consider me warned," Percy said. "I missed you, too."**

**Annabeth rose and helped him to his feet. She wanted to kiss him again so badly, but she managed to restrain herself.**

Aphrodite pouted in disappointment at the same time Annabeth silently sighed with relief.

**Jason cleared his throat. "So, yeah....It's good to be back." He introduced Reyna to Piper, who looked a little miffed that she hadn't gotten to say the lines she'd been practicing, then to Leo, who grinned and flashed a peace sign.**

**"And this is Annabeth," Jason said. "Uh, normally she doesn't judo-flip people."**

"Only Percy." the daughter of Athena swore.

"Lucky me." he said with a smile.

**Reyna's eyes sparkled. "You sure you're not a Roman, Annabeth? Or an Amazon?"**

Annabeth looked confused. _Was that supposed to be a compliment?_

Athena snorted at the Roman's question.

"Amazon? Like the online retailer?" Percy frowned.

"No, they're like Hunters of Artemis, only they're still allowed to marry and have relationships with boys." Poseidon told his son. "They largely worship Ares since most of them are his demigod children."

**... [Annabeth] "Pleased to meet you."**

**Reyna clasped her hand firmly. "It seems we have a lot to discuss. Centurions!"**

**A few of the Roman campers hustled forward—apparently the senior officers. Two kids appeared at Percy's side, the same ones Annabeth had seen him chumming around with earlier. The burly Asian guy with the buzz cut was about fifteen. He was cute in a sort of oversized-cuddly-panda-bear way.**

Rocking back his chair, Leo snickered. "I'm _so_ going to tell him that you called him that."

**...Annabeth could tell from their body language that they felt close to Percy. They stood next to him protectively, like they'd already shared many adventures.**

"Many adventures?" Percy repeated with a frown. "What have I been doing this whole time?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Annabeth replied.

**She fought down a twinge of jealousy. Was it possible Percy and this girl...no. The chemistry between the three of them wasn't like that.**

**Annabeth had spent her whole life learning to read people. It was a survival skill. If she had to guess, she'd say the big Asian guy was the girl's boyfriend, though she suspected they hadn't been together long.**

Leo let out a low whistle. "Wow. You're good. That's exactly right."

"It takes a lot of practice." the daughter of Athena explained.

**There was one thing she didn't understand: what was the girl staring at?**

Nico and Hades (whose form was flickering slightly) frowned at this.

**She kept frowning in Piper and Leo's direction, like she recognized one of them and the memory was painful.**

_Really? You had to notice that too?_ Leo inwardly groaned. 

The others turned to him.

"Do you know her?" Connor asked.

Leo threw his arms up in exasperation. "Why do you assume it's me? Why can't it be Piper?"

 _I mean you're right but I hate the fact that you immediately think it's me. Like com'on, really!_ he thought.

The Stoll shrugged. "Piper's not here to ask."

 _Oh. Right._ the son of Hephaestus lamely thought.

"They couldn't have met her before that." Nico spoke up. "She resurrected from the dead. How would that be possible?"

 _That and I took her straight to Camp Jupiter._ the son of Hades mentally added. _One of them must have something that is reminding Hazel of her past life._

Nico grimaced. _I hope it doesn't trigger an episode._

**Meanwhile, Reyna was giving orders to her officers. "...tell the legion to stand down. Dakota, alert the spirits in the kitchen. Tell them to prepare a welcome feast. And, Octavian—"**

**"You're letting these intruders into the camp?" A tall guy with stringy blond hair elbowed his way forward.** **"Reyna, the security risks—"**

**"We're not taking them to the camp, Octavian." Reyna flashed him a stern look. "We'll eat here, in the forum."**

**"Oh, much better," Octavian grumbled. He seemed to be the only one who didn't defer to Reyna as his superior, despite the fact that he was scrawny and pale and for some reason had three teddy bears hanging from his belt.**

"Why does he have those?" Mitchell asked as the Stolls laughed.

Apollo held the bridge of his nose and sighed. _Good question._ _Why does he still have those? I told him a million times he doesn't need to stab a stuffed animal to talk to me or get a prophecy. Why can't he just pray at the temple or burn food like the others?_

**"You want us to relax in the shadow of their warship."**

**"These are our guests." Reyna clipped off every word. "We will welcome them, and we will talk to them. As augur, you should burn an offering to thank the gods for bringing Jason back to us safely."**

**"Good idea," Percy put in. "Go burn your bears, Octavian."**

"The Romans burn stuffed animals instead of food to the gods?" Connor snickered.

"Do you think they like the smell?" he asked his brother.

Travis grinned mischievously. "We should send Dad som-"

"No." Hermes interrupted with a wary smile. "You really don't need to do that."

"It's no problem!" Connor told his father. "I'm sure we can take some from the camp store."

Katie glared him.

"No, really, don't do it." _Once they start, then all of the other kids start doing it._ Hermes inwardly groaned. _Then they'll never stop._

**Reyna looked like she was trying not to smile. "You have my orders. Go."**

**The officers dispersed. Octavian shot Percy a look of absolute loathing.**

Percy raised an eyebrow. _What's his problem?_

**Then he gave Annabeth a suspicious once-over and stalked away.**

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at that.

**Percy slipped his hand into Annabeth's. "Don't worry about Octavian," he said. "Most of the Romans are good people—**

Athena snorted.

"Not the two people we've met so far." Chris grumbled.

**like Frank and Hazel here, and Reyna. We'll be fine."**

**Annabeth felt as if someone had draped a cold washcloth across her neck. She heard that whispering laughter again, as if the presence had followed her from the ship.**

The readers stiffened.

" _Again?"_ the daughter of Athena gasped. "This has to be the fifth time I mention this cold feeling."

"What even is it?" Katie frowned.

**She looked up at the Argo II. Its massive bronze hull glittered in the sunlight. Part of her wanted to kidnap Percy right now, climb on board, and get out of here while they still could.**

Percy gave Annabeth a concerned glance.

**She couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong. And there was no way she would ever risk losing Percy again.**

**"We'll be fine," she repeated, trying to believe it.**

**"Excellent," Reyna said. She turned to Jason, and Annabeth thought there was a hungry sort of gleam in her eyes. "Let's talk, and we can have a proper reunion."**

"That's the end of the chapter." Chris said.

"Finally." Annabeth said. She closed her eyes and heaved a huge sigh of relief. _It's over._ _  
_

"I'll read next," Katie volunteered.

As the daughter of Demeter took the book, Leo couldn't help but wonder. _If the point of view was changed from Jason to Annabeth, does that mean I might not have my thoughts in here?_

He could only hope.

" **Annabeth III** ," Katie read.

Annabeth's eyes snapped open.

Leo frowned sympathetically. 

"You're kidding me right?" she said in disbelief. "We have _three_ chapters in my point of view?!"

"Four, actually." the daughter of Demeter corrected after she flipped ahead.

" _Four?!"_

Katie gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry."

Annabeth pinched the bridge of her nose. _This can't be happening._

Percy gave her an one-armed hug. 

"It'll be okay. Just two more chapters and you're done." he tried to encourage.

Annabeth snorted. "Easy for you to say."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed Chapter 2! :D


	3. Annabeth III

" **Annabeth III** ," Katie read.

"I can't believe there are four chapters..." Annabeth muttered under her breath. She brushed lose strands of hair away from her face. " _Four chapters._ Why four? Weren't two enough?"

"I know, right?" Leo agreed, he thoughtfully rocked his chair back. "You think there's a reason she chose your thoughts to be in the book?"

Annabeth mulled over his question.

"Nemesis is well-known for taking down powerful and prideful people," she began.

"Like Narcissus." Leo remembered.

"Right. Anyways, it's possible she decided to have my thoughts be read because she thinks I'm too prideful." the daughter of Athena scowled. "That's probably why my point of view is separated into _four_ chapters." 

She frowned at Leo. "Not sure why she would chose you though."

"Your guess is as good as mine." he shrugged. He wasn't as powerful as Jason or Percy and he definitely wouldn't consider himself to be an overly prideful person. He could only imagine why the goddess would chose this type of punishment for him.

He untied the shoelaces of his sneaker (hand-me-downs from his brother, Shane).

**Annabeth wished she had an appetite, because the Romans knew how to eat.**

**...Romans lounged in groups of ten or twenty, talking and laughing while wind spirits—aurae—swirled overhead, bringing an endless assortment of pizzas, sandwiches, chips, cold drinks, and fresh-baked cookies.**  

"Sounds kinda like our Mess Hall." Chris mused. 

"But it doesn't sound like they're separated by godly parents." Katie noticed.

Leo pulled the shoelace out of his shoe. He wrapped the string around his arm.

 **Drifting through the crowd were purple ghosts—Lares—in togas and legionnaire armor.** **Around the edges of the feast, satyrs (no, fauns, Annabeth thought)** **trotted from table to table,** **panhandling for food and spare change.**

"What?" Grover gasped, looking horrified by this revelation. "Why are they begging? Shouldn't they be searching for demigods?"

"No. There's no point in sending fauns when Flea Bag and her wolf pack are running around collecting brats." Dionysus said, flipping a page in his magazine.

"But can't they work at the stores or in their Senate House?" the satyr argued. "There are other things the Romans can be having them do instead of leaving them on the streets."

"Probably." the god of wine grunted. "But the fauns aren't interested in doing anything besides lazing around."

Grover looked stupefied. _They can't really be okay with how things are._

**...The whole scene was so familiar yet so completely alien that it gave Annabeth vertigo.**

**All she wanted to do was be with Percy—preferably alone.**

_"Ooooooo!"_ Aphrodite and the other demigods sang.

"That's not what I meant!" Annabeth snapped.

"How do you know? You haven't thought about this yet!...Or have you?" Connor wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Annabeth glared at him.

**She knew she would have to wait.**

_Preferably when the chapter stops being in my point of view._ the daughter of Athena silently added.

 **If** **their quest was going to succeed, they needed these Romans, which meant getting to know them and** **building some goodwill.**

Annabeth nodded her head in approval.

 **Reyna and a few of her officers (including the blond kid Octavian, freshly back from burning a** **teddy bear for the gods)**

Apollo grimaced. _Oh joy. You shouldn't have... No really, you shouldn't have._

 **sat with Annabeth and her crew. Percy joined them with his two new friends,** **Frank and Hazel. As a tornado of food platters settled onto the table, Percy leaned over and whispered, "I want to** **show you around New Rome. Just you and me. The place is incredible."**

Percy frowned. _That's it? That's all I want to tell her? I mean, it'll be pretty cool to explore Camp Jupiter with Annabeth, but why didn't I ask how Grover's doing or my mom and Paul? Mom especially must be worried sick at this point._

Annabeth and the other demigods looked disappointed in his statement as well.

"You're not going to even ask how Camp's doing?" the daughter of Athena said softly.

Percy winced. "Sorry, I don't know why I didn't mention it. Maybe I didn't think now was the right time to ask?" _At least, I hope so..._

**...She tried not to stare at the new marks on Percy's forearm—an SPQR tattoo like Jason's.**

The demigods tensed.

Athena gave the son of Poseidon a look of disgust.

"I got a tattoo?" Percy paled. "My mom's going kill me!" _First I vanish into thin air, then I come back with a tattoo? I'll be lucky if I'm allowed to leave the house by the time I turn forty-five!_

Percy groaned and buried his face in his hands. Annabeth gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"It's okay, Percy. We can get it removed as soon as you get back to Camp. I know a guy who knows a guy's girlfriend." Travis assured him.

" _Wait..._ Are you talking about _her?"_ Connor winced. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Dude, do you know how expensive it is to remove a tattoo? She's the only one who would be willing to do it for cheap." his brother argued.

 _Oh my gods, what am I getting myself into?_ Percy thought in growing dread. He didn't know what was worse, the fact that he's going to have a branding tattoo courtesy from the Romans or the fact that he would have to rely on one of Travis' shady friends to get the stupid thing removed before his mom found out.

 **At Camp** **Half-Blood, demigods got bead necklaces to commemorate years of training. Here, the Romans** **burned a tattoo into your flesh, as if to say: _You belong to us. Permanently._**

Annabeth and a few demigods winced.

"Not if Loco Coco's got anything to say about it." Travis nodded his head.

" _Loco Coco?"_ Percy squeaked.

"I dunno man, I still don't think we should take the chance." Connor told Travis.

"He'll be fine." he assured the other Stoll. "The worst he'll get is a scar."

"You don't know that for sure." Connor replied.

The two went back and forth with the pros and cons. Unfortunately for the son of Poseidon, Connor was able to come up with more reasons _not_ to than Travis was for doing it.

Percy bit his lip.

 _Is it bad that I'm still willing to do this so my mom doesn't find out?_ he wondered.

Seeing a look of determination on his face, Annabeth leaned over and hissed in his ear. "Don't even think about it."

Percy frowned. _I guess it's back to the drawing board._

**She swallowed back some biting comments. "Okay. Sure."**

**"I've been thinking," he said nervously. "I had this idea—"**

Percy and Annabeth frowned in confusion.

**He stopped as Reyna called a toast to friendship.**

"What was that all about?" Percy wondered to himself.

 **After introductions all around, the Romans and Annabeth's crew began exchanging stories. Jason** **explained how he'd arrived at Camp Half-Blood without his memory, and how he'd gone on a quest** **with Piper and Leo to rescue the goddess Hera (or Juno, take your pick—she was equally annoying in** **Greek or Roman)**

Hera, who's form flickered, glared at Annabeth.

Hermes and Apollo snickered.

"No arguments here." Hephaestus said.

Leo swung the shoelace like a lasso.

 **..."Impossible!" Octavian broke in. "That's our most sacred place. If the giants had imprisoned a** **goddess there—"**

 **"They would've destroyed her," Piper said. "And blamed it on the Greeks, and started a war** **between the camps. Now, be quiet and let Jason finish."**

**Octavian opened his mouth, but no sound came out.**

"Thank you, Piper." Apollo smiled. "We've been trying to do that for ages now."

 **She noticed Reyna looking back and forth between Jason and Piper, her brow creased, as if just** **beginning to realize the two of them were a couple.**

The Aphrodite Cabin shared a couple of smug smiles.

 **"So," Jason continued, "that's how we found out about the earth goddess Gaea. She's still half** **asleep, but she's the one freeing the monsters from Tartarus and raising the giants. Porphyrion, the big leader dude we fought at the Wolf House: he said he was retreating to the ancient lands—Greece** **itself. He plans on awakening Gaea and destroying the gods by...what did he call it? Pulling up their** **roots."**

The readers stiffened.

 **Percy nodded thoughtfully. "Gaea's been busy over here, too. We had our own encounter with** **Queen Dirt Face."**

"Seriously?" Percy complained.

**Percy recounted his side of the story.**

Poseidon and the demigods leaned forward, eager to hear what happened to him.

 **He talked about waking up at the Wolf House with no** **memories except for one name—Annabeth.**

 _Really? That's odd, that would've been the first memory I would've gotten rid of..._ Hera frowned.

"That's so cute!" Aphrodite squealed.

Her children cooed in agreement.

Percy felt his face heat up, but he shared a smile with Annabeth. 

"See? I knew I wouldn't forget you." he said.

"You proved me wrong." Annabeth replied, holding back tears of happiness.

Sitting by her hearth, Hestia grinned at the goddess. "That was so kind of you to look past that your feelings towards Annabeth and allow Percy to remember her."

The goddess of marriage was still frowning in confusion but she slowly nodded in agreement. "...Yes. It was." She sat up straighter in her throne. "But that's not surprising, I can be a very merciful goddess."

Artemis and Apollo scowled.

"Yeah right." the god spat.

"So you're just going to forget what you did to our poor mother." the goddess pointedly said. 

Hera pretended not to hear them as she gave Annabeth a meaningful look. "Maybe now you could finally start showing me some respect."

Annabeth half-heartedly rolled her eyes, she couldn't bring herself to feel fully annoyed. Not after hearing that Percy had always remembered her. 

 _Can't believe he actually did that..._ She smiled softly to herself.

 **...Percy told them how he'd traveled to** **Alaska with Frank and Hazel—how they'd defeated the giant Alcyoneus,**

"You fought _Alcyoneus!"_ Poseidon gasped. "In _Alaska!"_

Hades/Pluto scowled. He didn't want Hazel anywhere near that monster.

"I'm guessing he's a big deal?" Percy said in a small voice.

"He was made to destroy me," Hades began, regaining his form. He ignored the pain in the back of his head as he explained: "He is the eldest of the giants and can summon an army of former warriors."

 _No doubt his army is growing now that Gaea is raising._ the god of the dead thought. _He probably promised them a second chance in life._

"So it's just like when Leo and the others fought Enceladus and the Earthborn? Except a bigger giant and in Alaska?" Percy guessed.

The gods exchanged looks.

"Not exactly..." Hermes trailed off. 

"Alaska is known as the 'land beyond the gods' and is considered to be Alcyoneus' territory." Poseidon said with a pained expression. "When you go there to fight him, you'll be beyond our power and I won't be able to help you defeat the giant."

Percy's eyes widened. "Wait, how were we able to defeat Alcyoneus without the help of a god?"

"Frank and Arion were able to pull him into Canada," Leo remembered. He tied his shoelace into a knot. "From there, he and Hazel were able to take care of it."

Poseidon and Demeter perked up at the mention of their son. 

 **freed the death god** **Thanatos,**

Hades silently sighed with relief.

 **and returned with the lost golden eagle standard of the Roman camp to repel an attack by** **the giants' army.**

"And that's how you became praetor." Leo told Percy.

"You deserve it after doing all that." Nico said. "Defeating Alcyoneus isn't an easy feat. Especially on his own territory."

"I guess." the son of Poseidon shrugged.

 **...Octavian snorted. "Which means we now have three praetors! The rules clearly state we can only** **have two!"**

"But I don't want to be praetor." Percy frowned. "Can I just step down?"

"I don't see why not." Nico replied, not entirely surprised by his decision.

"But is it really that easy?" Annabeth asked.

"Sure, it solves the whole 'three praetors' thing." Leo said. He untied the knot on the shoelace.

 **"On the bright side," Percy said, "both Jason and I outrank you, Octavian. So we can both tell you** **to shut up."**

A couple people laughed at this, even Apollo joined in.

"I wish I saw his face." the god smiled.

**Octavian turned as purple as a Roman T-shirt. Jason gave Percy a fist bump.**

Thalia grinned at that.

 **..."We'll have to figure out the extra praetor problem later," she said. "Right now we have more** **serious issues to deal with."**

**"I'll step aside for Jason," Percy said easily. "It's no biggie."**

**"No biggie?" Octavian choked. "The praetorship of Rome is no biggie?"**

"It's not like I wanted it in the first place." Percy shrugged.

 **Percy ignored him and turned to Jason. "You're Thalia Grace's brother, huh? Wow. You guys look** **nothing alike."**

"Wow, really? Leave it to Percy to state the obvious." Thalia smiled and playfully rolled her eyes.

"What else was I supposed to say about that? 'You're Thalia Grace's brother? I know her!'" Percy said.

"I don't know, anything would've worked. I even would've accepted 'I didn't know she had a brother.'"

"Sorry, I keep that in mind when I meet him." Percy replied sarcastically.

 **"Yeah, I noticed," Jason said. "Anyway, thanks for helping my camp while I was gone. You did an** **awesome job."**

**"Back at you," Percy said.**

_Despite that awkward start to a conversation, it's nice to see them getting along._ Thalia thought, smiling.

 **... [Annabeth] "We should talk about the Great Prophecy. It sounds like the Romans** **are aware of it too?"**

**...Octavian sighed. "Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall—"**

**"An oath to keep with a final breath," Annabeth continued. "And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."**

The demigods gave her confused glances.

Connor frowned. "Um... Is there a reason you finished reciting the prophecy? What, did you just want to show off that you memorized the words?"

"I don't know. I haven't done this yet." Annabeth responded. She couldn't help but be reminded of when Jason interrupted Rachel in the middle of reciting the prophecy. _Is that just something the Seven of the Great Prophecy do?_

 **Everyone stared at her—except for Leo, who had constructed a pinwheel out of aluminum foil** **taco wrappers and was sticking it into passing wind spirits.**

"I already heard it before." Leo simply said, kicking his legs back and forth.

 **...The big kid, Frank, sat forward, staring at her in fascination, as if she'd grown a third eye. "Is it true you're a child of Min—I mean, Athena?"** Katie scowled disapprovingly.

Athena leaned forward, like she was waiting for Frank to say one wrong thing.

 _Di immortals! Really, Frank? You had to say that?_   Leo groaned. He slapped his forehead.

The demigods stiffened.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "So what if I am? What's the problem?"

"Nothing, he's just curious." Leo told her. "Sometimes he doesn't word things properly."

**"Yes," she said, suddenly feeling defensive. "Why is that such a surprise?"**

**Octavian scoffed. "If you're truly a child of the wisdom goddess—"**

"First they treat me like I'm a freak, now they think I'm lying about my godly parent?!" Annabeth exclaimed angrily. She glared at Leo. "I thought you said that the Romans weren't like Terminus?"

"You honestly believed him?" Athena said. "He lied to you! Just like the same miserable Romans he worships, he lies!"

"I'm not lying." Leo said, holding his hands up in surrender. "Frank was honestly curious and Octavian's a jerk to everyone. I wouldn't be surprised if he said it just to bother you."

"He has a point. Octavian _is_ a jerk." Apollo mused. "And that's coming from his godly ancestor."

Annabeth gritted her teeth but she didn't say anything else. _I can't wait until they stop making these stupid 'Child of Athena' comments. Questioning my godly heritage? How dare he! Who does he think he is?! I was claimed by Athena herself! If you're really curious why don't you ask her yourself? I'm sure she'll be ecstatic to hear from you._

Percy grabbed her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

**"Enough," Reyna snapped. "Annabeth is what she says.**

"Thank you." Annabeth huffed. _Maybe Reyna's not so bad._

 **She's here in peace. Besides..." She gave** **Annabeth a look of grudging respect. "Percy has spoken highly of you."**

Annabeth blinked at that.

 **The undertones in Reyna's voice took Annabeth a moment to decipher. Percy looked down,** **suddenly interested in his cheeseburger.**

**Annabeth's face felt hot. Oh, gods...Reyna had tried to make a move on Percy.**

_Then again..._ she scowled.

"Oh." Percy grimaced. He suddenly thought the ground was very interesting to look at. _Why me though? I'm lucky I got Annabeth to like me. Reyna could honestly do better._

" _Ooooo!_ I would've loved to see how that played out!" Aphrodite giggled. "How'd he turn her down? What was her reaction? What did they do afterwards? Was it awkward?" she giggled before answering her own question. "Who am I kidding? Of course it was awkward!"

"You can be so cold." Artemis stated. "Who'd want to watch a person be turned down by someone they liked?"

Percy guiltily winced

" _Oh puh-lease!_ Don't act like you're not curious." the goddess of love said dismissively.

"I'm not." Artemis said flatly.

"-Breakups, rejections, heartbreak. It's all related to love. It's my job to see how things play out." Aphrodite said as if the other hadn't spoken. "And I'm actually interested to know what caused Reyna to like him."

"I'm not." Annabeth flatly.

"Well of course you're not." the goddess grinned.

 **That explained** **the tinge of bitterness, maybe even envy, in her words. Percy had turned her down for Annabeth.**

"It's really romantic when you think about it." the goddess of love sighed happily.

**At that moment, Annabeth forgave her ridiculous boyfriend for everything he'd ever done wrong.**

**She wanted to throw her arms around him, but she commanded herself to stay cool.**

_Shut up._ Annabeth told herself.

"Go ahead! You haven't seen him in forever!" Aphrodite eagerly encouraged.

"Maybe later." she simply said. _It'd be wrong to do that in front of Reyna. Especially after she said that._

She didn't like that Reyna attempted to get together with Percy, but she wasn't cruel.

 **"Uh, thanks," she told Reyna. "At any rate, some of the prophecy is becoming clear. Foes bearing** **arms to the Doors of Death...that means Romans and Greeks. We have to combine forces to find** **those doors."**

 **Hazel...picked up something next to her plate. It looked like a large ruby;**

"It was." Leo confirmed, putting his shoelace back in the sneaker. "She does that when she's nervous."

The Stolls' eyes widened.

" _Dude..._ " Travis whispered to his brother. 

"I heard him." Connor whispered back, a smile on his face. His mind was already working out the possibilities.

**but before Annabeth could be sure, Hazel slipped it into the pocket of her denim shirt.**

**"My brother, Nico, went looking for the doors," she said.** Katie froze. Her jaw dropped.

The room fell silent.

The demigods froze.

The teens slowly turned their attention to said boy, who shrank back at the hard expressions.

"You knew this whole time and you didn't tell us?!" Percy yelled, surprising the others by his tone of voice. _Gods,_ he wanted to strangle the kid! He knew he shouldn't feel betrayed by the son of Hades, this isn't the first time he tricked him after all, but he couldn't help it. There had been a part of him that hoped Nico had learned his lesson. "Did you think it was _funny?"_

"No! I didn't! I wanted to say something! But I couldn't." 

Percy snorted and rolled his eyes at that.

Nico winced. He had been hoping that after convincing his dad to join the battle against the Titans, he could have Percy's trust back and maybe even some respect, but now that's never going to happen. Not from him or anybody else at Camp Half-Blood. 

" _Yeah right!_ If you really wanted to say something, why didn't you?" the son of Poseidon said skeptically.

"Because _I_ made him swear on the River of Styx not to tell any Greek demigod of the camp's existence." Hades butted in, glaring back at Percy. "Why? Is that a problem, nephew?"

"No, no problem at all..." Percy said before muttering sarcastically under his breath. "I just love it when my so-called friend stabs me in the back."

He gave Nico a heated glare.

Annabeth grabbed his hand and squeezed.

The room stayed quiet for a couple minutes, the demigods wanting to ask questions or say something to Nico and Hades silently daring them to do so, when someone finally had the courage to speak up.

"It sucks that he hid this, but maybe we can use Nico's ties with the Roman Camp to our advantage."

Everyone turned to Will in surprise.

Percy frowned. "What do you mean?"

"If he knows the Romans, he can vouch for us that we're trustworthy people. They might be more inclined to believe someone they already know as opposed to a group of strangers who say they're friendly."

"It could work. He'd be good for helping with introductions." Leo added. "And he could deliver that video scroll you guys were talking about earlier." He nodded to his siblings.

"Can we even trust him?" Percy asked grimly.

Nico winced as if he'd been slapped.

" _Excuse me?"_ Hades challenged.

"It's okay, I deserved that." Nico miserably told his father. "I know I messed up a lot, Percy. But I promise I'll make it up to you." he glanced at the other campers. "And you guys too."

Percy didn't look impressed but he didn't say anything.

"You couldn't help it. You swore to your dad you wouldn't tell anyone." Will comforted. 

Nico lowered his head. "Still could've done something."

After a few more minutes of silence passed, Katie kept reading.

**"Wait," Annabeth said. "Nico di Angelo? He's your brother?"**

**Hazel nodded as if this were obvious.** **A dozen more questions crowded into Annabeth's head, but it was already spinning like Leo's pinwheel. She decided to let the matter go. "Okay. You were saying?"**

Percy turned to Annabeth in shock. "How come you didn't tell her the truth?"

Annabeth shrugged. "Probably because there was no point. Octavian might think I was implying that he was a traitor, if I told them that Nico knew about both camps. Then who knows what would happen? It's better to just move forward and pretend it didn't bother me."

**"He disappeared." Hazel moistened her lips.**

Hades stiffened.

"What?" Will asked with a gasp.

Nico nervously gulped.

 **"I'm afraid...I'm not sure, but I think something's** **happened to him."**

**"We'll look for him," Percy promised.**

Nico released a small sigh of relief. _At least now I know Percy will eventually forgive me and be willing to save me._

**"We have to find the Doors of Death anyway.**

_Never mind._ Nico thought sadly.

 **Thanatos** **told us we'd find both answers in Rome—like, the original Rome. That's on the way to Greece, right?"**

**"Thanatos told you this?" Annabeth tried to wrap her mind around that idea. "The death god?"**

**She'd met many gods. She'd even been to the Underworld; but Percy's story about freeing the** **incarnation of death itself really creeped her out. Percy took a bite of his burger.**

"Glad it doesn't bother Percy enough to ruin his appetite." Hermes chuckled.

Annabeth playfully rolled her eyes. " _Nothing_ can ruin Percy's appetite."

 **"Now that Death is free, monsters will disintegrate and return to** **Tartarus again like they used to. But as long as the Doors of Death are open, they'll just keep coming** **back."**

"Hopefully not as quick as they did in the last book." Will commented.

**Piper twisted the feather in her hair. "Like water leaking through a dam," she suggested.**

Despite his anger towards Nico, Percy couldn't help but share a smile with Grover and Thalia.

**"Yeah." Percy smiled. "We've got a dam hole."**

Katie jumped in surprise when the three burst out laughing.

"I can't believe you remembered that!" Thalia exclaimed. "Out of all the memories you could've lost, you somehow manage to keep that one?!"

"I know right!" Percy said, feeling better. He really needed a joke like that.

"What does that even mean?" Leo asked, sounding just as confused as the others.

"Inside joke." Grover explained with a grin.

 **... [Percy] "Inside joke. The point is we'll have to find the doors and close them before** **we can head to Greece. It's the only way we'll stand a chance of defeating the giants and making sure** **they stay defeated."**

 **[Reyna]...** **"You propose an expedition to Greece in your warship. You do realize that the ancient** **lands—and the Mare Nostrum—are dangerous?"**

**"Mary who?" Leo asked.**

"Mare Nostrum," Athena instantly corrected. "It means ' _Our Sea',_ " she rolled her eyes, "it's what the Romans called the Mediterranean. As if they could possibly own something as large as the sea."

 **[Reyna]... "The territory that was once the Roman Empire is not only the birthplace of the gods.** **It's also the ancestral home of the monsters, Titans and giants...and worse things. As dangerous as travel is for demigods here in America, there it would be ten times worse."**

**"You said Alaska would be bad," Percy reminded her. "We survived that."**

**[Reyna]... "Percy,** **traveling in the Mediterranean is a different level of danger altogether. It's been off limits to Roman** **demigods for centuries. No hero in his right mind would go there."**

**"Then we're good!" Leo grinned over the top of his pinwheel. "Because we're all crazy, right?**

"Well, when you put it like that..." Hermes chuckled.

**Besides, the _Argo II_ is a top-of-the-line warship. She'll get us through."**

Nyssa and Jake nodded.

 **"We'll have to hurry," Jason added. "I don't know exactly what the giants are planning, but Gaea is** **growing more conscious all the time. She's invading dreams,**

 _How does he know that?_ Thalia thought with a concerned frown.

 **appearing in weird places, summoning** **more and more powerful monsters. We have to stop the giants before they can wake her up fully."**

**Annabeth shuddered. She'd had her own share of nightmares lately.**

Percy gave her a worried glance.

"I'll be fine." she assured him.

 **... [Annabeth] "It needs to be a mix from both our camps. Jason,** **Piper, Leo, and me. That's four."**

**"And me," Percy said. "Along with Hazel and Frank. That's seven."**

**"What?" Octavian shot to his feet. "We're just supposed to accept that? Without a vote in the** **senate? Without a proper debate? Without—"**

"We don't have time." Will sighed, silently wishing that Piper would charmspeak Octavian to shut up again. "It would take the senate forever to agree on people who should go. And I'm sure they wouldn't pick the ones who are supposed to go on the quest in the first place." **  
**

"They would probably only choose Romans to go on the quest." Clarisse said.

**"Percy!" Tyson the Cyclops bounded toward them with Mrs. O'Leary at his heels.**

Percy and Poseidon smiled warmly.

 **On the** **hellhound's back sat the skinniest harpy Annabeth had ever seen—a sickly-looking girl with stringy** **red hair, a sackcloth dress, and red-feathered wings.**

Percy looked confused. "Who's that?"

"Ella. She's a harpy. Apparently she reads lot of books." Leo told him. The son of Hephaestus was searching through his tool belt when he added as an afterthought. "Oh yeah, she's also Tyson's girlfriend."

"His _what?!"_ Percy choked. "My baby brother has a _girlfriend_?!"

Poseidon sputtered, he hunched over his throne like he'd been punched in the gut. _Tyson?! My Tyson?! The same little boy who calls hippocampi 'fish ponies' is dating?! _

"He can't stay a baby forever, Aquaman." Leo grinned, wagging a screwdriver at him. 

"Aquaman?" Percy repeated distantly.

"They have to grow up sometime." Aphrodite agreed with a knowing smile. 

"But not this quickly." Poseidon said. "I didn't think he'd be interested in dating until another few decades."

"Or never." Percy said, head still spinning. _Oh gods! What if he asks me for advice on girls?! What if I give him advice? What if he actually does it?!_

As if knowing what he was thinking, Annabeth smiled and gave him a comforting pat on the back.

Leo spun the screwdriver on its side.

**...Tyson stopped by their couch and wrung his meaty hands. His big brown eye was full of concern.**

**"Ella is scared," he said.**

"Don't know why, my ship is perfectly safe." Leo muttered. 

 **"N-n-no more boats," the harpy muttered to herself, picking furiously at her feathers. " _Titanic_ , ** **_Lusitania_ , _Pax_...boats are not for harpies."**

Jake blinked before he turned to Leo.

"Did she just say that our boat was the _Titanic?"_ he asked in disbelief. "What about the _Argo II_ seems like it's a ship that would sink? Look at how it's made! It's practically unsinkable!"

"Isn't that what they also said about the _Titanic_?" Katie asked with a frown. The brothers took no notice of her as Leo eagerly nodded his head.

"I know, right? She must hate boats or something because there's no way you can look at a ship like the _Argo II_ and think ' _Titanic'_!"

Katie shook her head and went back to reading.

 **Leo squinted. He looked at Hazel, who was seated next to him. "Did that chicken girl just** **compare _my_ ship to the _Titanic_?"**

**"She's not a chicken." Hazel averted her eyes, as if Leo made her nervous.**

The readers looked at the son of Hephaestus.

"Looks like it was you." Connor said.

"Have you to met somewhere?" Annabeth asked. 

"No, it's impossible." Nico told them. "I brought Hazel back from the dead and took her to Camp Jupiter." He ignored the shocked and fearful looks from the others as he continued. 

"Leo and Hazel couldn't have met. He must have said or done something that triggered her to remember the past. Because she's resurrected in an unusual way, she has episodes that force her to relive her past."

"That would explain why she's nervous of him." Annabeth mused. "She could be scared of having an episode."

Leo didn't correct them. The real reason was too strange to tell them without context, even then, he would still hesitate to say anything. He was still getting used to being 'Sammy .2' and while he was more accepting of it than he had been before, he did _not_ need any more people learning about their strange connection. It was too personal. 

_Which is why it might be in the book._

Leo grimaced at the thought.

 _Maybe not._ he thought, trying to be hopeful. _It doesn't have anything to do with the quest, so there would be no point in mentioning it. Besides, my point-of-view might not even be in here._

_...You're not stupid enough to actually believe that._

"Shut up, me."

"What?" Travis frowned.

"Nothing." Leo told him. "I'm just exhausted and talking to myself, nothing to see here. I'm perfectly normal."

The look on the Stoll's face said otherwise.

 **"Ella's a harpy. She's** **just a little...high-strung."**

**"Ella is pretty," Tyson said.**

" _Aaaawww!"_ the goddess of love cooed.

Percy's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

" _Fates give me strength..."_ Poseidon muttered under his breath. _My boys are growing up too fast..._

 **"And scared. We need to take her away, but she will not go on the** **ship."**

**"No ships," Ella repeated. She looked straight at Annabeth. "Bad luck. There she is.**

Annabeth grimaced. "Great. Even the harpy has something against children of Athena."

 **_Wisdom's_ ** **_daughter walks alone—_ "**

Annabeth paused at that.

**"Ella!" Frank stood suddenly. "Maybe it's not the best time—"**

**" _The Mark of Athena burns through Rome,_ " Ella continued, cupping her hands over her ears and ** **raising her voice. " _Twins snuff out the angel's breath, Who holds the key to endless death. Giants' bane stands_** **_gold and pale, Won through pain from a woven jail._ "**

"...Did she just recite a prophecy?" Will said after a moment of silence.

His father slowly nodded.

"How could she figure out the prophecy without being an oracle?" Will wondered.

"I think she read it somewhere." Leo said.

"That would mean that this prophecy's been around for a while..." the son of Apollo said. "But where did Ella find it?"

"The only thing I could imagine a prophecy like that being recorded in is the Sibylline Books. They're a collection of prophecies that were used during Ancient Rome." Apollo explained. "But I thought they were shredded to pieces at this point... Where did she find it?" he mused.

**The effect was like someone dropping a flash grenade on the table. Everyone stared at the harpy.**

"Apparently harpies randomly stating prophecies of impending doom aren't common at the Roman camp." Percy said. 

"Apparently." Annabeth agreed.

"I wish, _Octavian's_ in charge of reading prophecies." Apollo rolled his eyes.  _My descendants have never turned out as perfect as Caesar Augustus did..._

 **No one spoke. Annabeth's heart was pounding. The Mark of Athena...She resisted the urge to check** **her pocket, but she could feel the silver coin growing warmer—the cursed gift from her mother.** **  
**

Annabeth's eyes widened in horror. Her breath hitched. She felt Percy stiffen beside her, but she didn't acknowledge it as the world around her became distant. _She really cursed me..._

 _Calm down._ she snapped at herself. She willed her body to breathe but it was shallow and slow. _Stop. Calm down. You knew this was going to happen. You knew she was going to do something irrational._

But it still _hurt_. She looked up to her mother. Even though the goddess couldn't always be there for her, their relationship had been very close up until this point. She had given her an invisible baseball cap for her birthday, guided her and her friends to Camp Half-Blood, she even made Annabeth the new architect of Olympus! How could she do something like this to her?! Did she honestly hate the Romans more than she loved her own daughter...?

The demigods stared at the book in shock.

" _Wonderful."_ Hera said, rubbing her temple. "Out of all her children, she has to send the one from the Great Prophecy on a suicide mission? _Brilliant_ plan Athena! It's not like saving the world might be more important or anything!"

"Suicide mission?!" Percy looked at Athena in alarm. "What did you do?!"

Sitting up straight in her throne, the goddess of wisdom looked down at the mortal as if he were a bug. 

"I gave her the honor of a lifetime." Athena/Minerva huffed. "I don't give this opportunity to _just_ anyone. I give the Mark of Athena to those I deem worthy and there is no one I can think of who is more worthy and capable for this mission than Annabeth."

"She always picks her favorites to go on these little missions and they've either died or came back insane." Apollo said, crossing his arms. He winced at the death glare Athena gave him but he continued on. "You're really pushing it with this one, 'Thena. We need these kids if we don't want to end up dead, and you chose to send Annabeth on this quest _now?"_

"It's a perfect opportunity." the goddess argued. "She will be traveling to our birthplace, she will finally be able to avenge me and retrieve what is _mine_."

"That's what you said about every child. 'He will finally avenge me!' 'She will finally avenge me!'" Demeter rolled her eyes. "You're going to get her killed!"

"I know what I'm doing!" the goddess snapped. 

The gods around her collectively groaned and rolled their eyes.

Athena scowled. 

"What was that?" she challenged.  

 "Annabeth?" Percy gently shook her. She had been unresponsive for a while. She didn't seem to register that the others were talking about her without including her in the conversation. "Annabeth? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." she stated. Her face expressionless. "Let's just keep reading."

She squared up her shoulders and set her face. Percy had seen her do this before she would race into the heat of a battle. 

 _I can handle this._ she told herself. Annabeth ignored the way the other demigods whispered to each other and gave her sideways glances. She nodded to Katie gesturing her to continue with the chapter.

 _I won't let Nemesis get to me._ she swore to herself.

_**Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me.** _

Annabeth took a deep breath and slowly let it out. 

Percy pulled her into an one-armed hug.

**....Percy was the first to recover. He stood and took Tyson's arm.**

**"I know!" he said with feigned enthusiasm. "How about you take Ella to get some fresh air? You** **and Mrs. O'Leary—"**

 **"Hold on." Octavian gripped one of his teddy bears, strangling it with shaking hands. His eyes** **fixed on Ella. "What was that she said? It sounded like—"**

"It's none of your business." Apollo rolled his eyes. "The moment he even finds out Ella has memorized the Sibylline Books, her goose is cooked."

He grinned at his own little joke.

Spinning his screwdriver, Leo couldn't help but smile at that as well. _That was so bad, I love it._

**"Ella reads a lot," Frank blurted out. "We found her at a library."**

**"Yes!" Hazel said. "Probably just something she read in a book."**

**Annabeth gave Percy a curious glance. Obviously, he and Frank and Hazel were hiding** **something. Just as obviously, Ella had recited a prophecy—a prophecy that concerned her.**

**Percy's expression said, _Help_.**

**"That was a prophecy," Octavian insisted. "It sounded like a prophecy."**

**... [Annabeth] "Really, Octavian? Maybe harpies are different here, on the Roman side. Ours** **have just enough intelligence to clean cabins and cook lunches. Do yours usually foretell the future?** **Do you consult them for your auguries?"**

**....The Roman officers laughed nervously. Some sized up Ella, then looked at Octavian and snorted. The idea of a chicken lady issuing prophecies was apparently just as ridiculous to Romans as it was to Greeks.**

**"I, uh..." Octavian dropped his teddy bear. "No, but—"**

**"She's just spouting lines from some book," Annabeth said, "like Hazel suggested. Besides, we** **already have a real prophecy to worry about."**

 **She turned to Tyson. "Percy's right. Why don't you take Ella and Mrs. O'Leary and shadow-travel** **somewhere for a while. Is Ella okay with that?"**

 **"'Large dogs are good,'" Ella said. "Old Yeller, 1957, screenplay by Fred Gipson and William** **Tunberg."**

"Is that a yes?" Chris frowned.

"I guess. I mean, Old Yeller's a good book, right?" Percy turned to Annabeth.

Annabeth just toyed with the college ring on her necklace.

The son of Poseidon kissed her cheek and hugged her closer.

**...The Romans looked at Reyna, waiting for her ruling. Annabeth held her breath.**

**..."Fine," the praetor said at last. "Go."**

**"Yay!" Tyson went around the couches and gave everyone a big hug—even Octavian, who didn't** **look happy about it.**

"Tough luck. Tyson loves hugs." Percy smiled.

 **Then he climbed on Mrs. O'Leary's back with Ella, and the hellhound bounded** **out of the forum. They dove straight into a shadow on the Senate House wall and disappeared.**

 **"Well." [Reyna]... "Octavian is right about one thing. We must gain the** **senate's approval before we let any of our legionnaires go on a quest—especially one as dangerous as** **you're suggesting."**

"They don't have time for that. Are the Romans already forgetting that the giants are on their way to Greece and forming an army, as they speak?" Chris said.

"We don't have a choice, if we want to form an alliance with them, we'd have to follow their customs." Annabeth finally spoke up. Her eyes would occasionally glance up at the ceiling, before they finally focused on Chris.

"You're right, but still. You guys kinda have a time limit here." the son of Hermes frowned.

**"This whole thing smells of treachery," Octavian grumbled. "That trireme is not a ship of peace!"**

"I knew we should've added the smiley face!" Leo tried to joke, ignoring the sense of dread for what was to come. He picked up his screwdriver and put it back in his tool belt.

He relaxed a little when the Stoll brothers snickered at that.

"Would've really convinced them." Connor agreed.

"I would've taken it as a symbol of peace." Travis grinned. "Nothing can be more friendlier than a smile."

 **"Come aboard, man," Leo offered. "I'll give you a tour. You can steer the boat, and if you're really** **good I'll give you a little paper captain's hat to wear."**

"I'm a professional when it comes to paper hats! It's one of my hidden talents!" Leo boasted as the Stolls, Apollo, and Hermes laughed.

**Octavian's nostrils flared. "How dare you—"**

"Don't be such a killjoy." Apollo sighed. He turned to Leo. "Make sure the hat looks as ridiculous as possible."

"Can do!" the son of Hephaestus replied. He rocked his chair back and forth.

 **"It's a good idea," Reyna said. "Octavian, go with him. See the ship. We'll convene a senate** **meeting in one hour."**

 **"But..." Octavian stopped. Apparently he could tell from Reyna's expression that further arguing** **would not be good for his health. "Fine."** **  
**

**Leo got up. He turned to Annabeth, and his smile changed. It happened so quickly, Annabeth thought she'd imagined it; but just for a moment someone else seemed to be standing in Leo's place, smiling coldly with a cruel light in his eyes.** Katie blinked in shock.

"What in the world?!" Hephaestus exclaimed, giving Leo a worried look.

"What was that you said earlier about smiles?" Connor asked his brother.

"When I said smiles, I meant ones that didn't look like whatever the heck _that_ was." Travis responded. He turned to Leo, who looked like he was trying to fade into the background. "Seriously, what was that?"

 _Damn, there is nothing that can get past Annabeth. She notices everything._ Leo thought, playing with the buttons on his jacket. 

He didn't know what to do! Well... That wasn't true... He knew he should just come clean and tell them the truth. But now wasn't a good time! The demigods just got finished chewing out poor Nico. The gods were still heated from their latest back-and-forth (Athena looked ready to go for a few more rounds). Poor Annabeth had temporarily shut down. The moment he even admits to what he did(or what he was made to do), they'll jump on him like a pack of hungry wolves and Leo's seen enough on his quest to know that hungry wolves are something he didn't want to mess with.

 _But I have to say something!_ he told himself. _They'll kill me if they find out before I tell them. Just like they did with Nico! But they'll kill me if I say something!_

Leo silently weighed his pros and cons.

"It could just be my imagination." Annabeth said as Leo was internally debating.

 **Then Annabeth blinked, and Leo was just regular old Leo** **again, with his usual impish grin.**

"See?" she said as the readers relaxed. While the others calmed down, Annabeth frowned at Leo.

The son of Hephaestus was squirming in his seat. His eyes were darting around the room, but he said nothing.

 _Why didn't he say something? Was he freaked out by what I saw?_ she thought.

**"Back soon," he promised. "This is gonna be epic."**

_Yeah, an epic fail_ _! Nice job, Valdez!_ Leo thought miserably.

**A horrible chill settled over her.**

The readers tensed.

"Again?" Annabeth grumbled.

 **As Leo and Octavian headed for the rope ladder, she thought** **about calling them back—**

 _I wish she did._ Leo thought, tugging the buttons on his jacket.

 **but how could she explain that? Tell everyone she was going crazy, seeing** **things and feeling cold?**

 **..."Uh, Reyna," Jason said, "if you don't mind, I'd like to show Piper around before the senate** **meeting. She's never seen New Rome."**

Despite being happy for Piper's relationship, Lacy couldn't help but wince in sympathy. "Why would he say that? Was he trying to hurt Reyna?"

"I don't think he meant it." Aphrodite said, shaking her head in disappointment. "Some boys can be so clueless." _What was he thinking?_

**Reyna's expression hardened.**

**Annabeth wondered how Jason could be so dense. Was it possible he really didn't understand how** **much Reyna liked him? It was obvious enough to Annabeth. Asking to show his new girlfriend** **around Reyna's city was rubbing salt in a wound.**

**"Of course," Reyna said coldly.**

**Percy took Annabeth's hand. "Yeah, me, too. I'd like to show Annabeth—"**

Aphrodite gave Percy an unimpressed look. "Really? I'm okay with rejections, but this is a bit much, don't you think?"

"Right after Jason too..." Lacy sighed. "That's so cold, Percy."

Said boy frowned. "I guess I wasn't thinking."

"I guess not." the goddess of love agreed.

**"No," Reyna snapped.**

"Saw that one coming from a mile away." Aphrodite said.

**Percy knit his eyebrows. "Sorry?"**

"Please don't be so surprised, we all knew this was coming." the goddess of love told him.

**"I'd like a few words with Annabeth," Reyna said. "Alone. If you don't mind, my fellow praetor."**

**Her tone made it clear she wasn't really asking permission.**

**The chill spread down Annabeth's back.**

"Is it Khione using her powers again?" Annabeth guessed. "What is that?" _I'm going to need more details if I'm going to figure this out, future me._

**She wondered what Reyna was up to. Maybe the praetor didn't like the idea of two guys who had rejected her giving their girlfriends tours of her city. Or maybe there was something she wanted to say in private. Either way, Annabeth was reluctant to be alone and unarmed with the Roman leader.**

**"Come, daughter of Athena." Reyna rose from her couch. "Walk with me."**

"Finished with the chapter." Katie said.

 _Just one more and I'm done._ Annabeth told herself. She leaned back in Percy's embrace. _I can do this._

"I'll read next," Jake volunteered, taking the book from her.

" **Annabeth IV** ,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	4. Annabeth IV

" **Annabeth IV** ," Jake read.

"You're doing great." Percy told his girlfriend. "This is your last chapter."

"Thank the gods." Annabeth muttered. _I don't think I can take another one after this._

**Annabeth wanted to hate New Rome. But as an aspiring architect, she couldn't help admiring** **the terraced gardens, the fountains and temples, the winding cobblestone streets and gleaming white** **villas.**

"Yup, there it is. The architect stuff we were talking about." Travis chuckled. 

"Wake me up when it's over." Connor said, pretending to fall asleep.

"Why did they have to come back?" Annabeth muttered under her breath. She scowled at them. 

**After the Titan War last summer, she'd gotten her dream job of redesigning the palaces of** **Mount Olympus.**

**Now, walking through this miniature city, she kept thinking, I should have made a** **dome like that. I love the way those columns lead into that courtyard.**

"I'm sure the way you will rebuild Olympus will be perfect." Athena told her daughter.

Annabeth smiled shyly at that.

_Enjoy it while it lasts._ she reminded herself. The smile slowly disappeared as she remembered the cursed gift. 

Leo held back a yawn as he swung his legs back and forth.

**Whoever designed New Rome had** **clearly poured a lot of time and love into the project.**

**"We have the best architects and builders in the world," Reyna said, as if reading her thoughts. "Rome always did, in the ancient times.**

Athena snorted  "You obviously haven't seen true architecture."

**Many demigods stay on to live here after their time in the** **legion. They go to our university.**

Annabeth perked up at that. _They have a university? I wonder how you can apply..._

**They settle down to raise families. Percy seemed interested in this** **fact."**

"What?!" Percy exclaimed. His face becoming red as the goddess of love and her children squealed.

He gulped when he noticed Athena give him a glare that warned: _I am allowing you to date my daughter. Don't push your luck._

Poseidon sighed. _First Tyson's dating, now Percy's thinking of raising a family? This is too much..._

The god of the sea combed through his beard.

"Wow Percy, you're really thinking about the future." Travis snickered.

"Don't you think you're going a bit fast?" Connor asked.

"Er... uh..." Percy fumbled. Annabeth rolled her eyes at the Stolls. 

"There's nothing wrong with thinking about the future." she told them, surprising everyone.

Athena looked at her daughter as if she grew a second head.

Annabeth turned to Percy with a proud smile on her face.

"Don't listen to them, I think it's good that you're interested in their university. I am too." she told him. Her smile became more softer. "Maybe we could try to apply together."

_Oh thank Fates..._ the goddess of wisdom thought with a sigh of relief.

Aphrodite and a few others started to snicker amongst themselves.

"You don't honestly believe he meant that, do you?" the goddess of love said.

"It can't be." Travis snickered. "There's no way."

"She has to be saying that to protect Percy." Lacy giggled.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing!" the son of Poseidon said quickly. "Just ignore them!"

**Annabeth wondered what that meant.**

The laughing grew louder.

"What's so funny? He was talking about the university!" Annabeth insisted. She turned to Percy. "Right?"

"Right." Percy immediately agreed. _...She must never know._

**She must have scowled more fiercely than she realized,** **because Reyna laughed.**

**"You're a warrior, all right," the praetor said. "You've got fire in your eyes."**

**"Sorry." Annabeth tried to tone down the glare.**

**"Don't be. I'm the daughter of Bellona."**

_Who?_ Annabeth blinked in confusion.

**"Roman goddess of war?"**

Annabeth grimaced. _I really need to catch up with my Roman studies._

"A cheap knockoff of me." Athena snorted. "Why did she even need to exist? I am already a goddess of war. They didn't need to strip me of my title and give it to _her._ "

Leo drummed his fingers on his knee.

**Reyna nodded. She turned and whistled like she was hailing a cab. A moment later, two metal** **dogs raced toward them—automaton greyhounds, one silver and one gold. They brushed against** **Reyna's legs and regarded Annabeth with glistening ruby eyes.**

The demigods exchanged uneasy looks. 

"What are those?" Mitchell frowned.

**"My pets," Reyna explained. "Aurum and Argentum. You don't mind if they walk with us?"**

"I guess, it doesn't sound like I have much of a choice anyway." Annabeth muttered.

**...Reyna led her to an outdoor café, where the waiter clearly knew her. He smiled and handed her a** **to-go cup, then offered one to Annabeth.**

**"Would you like some?" Reyna asked.**

Leo's eyes fluttered closed.

**"They make wonderful hot chocolate. Not really a Roman** **drink—"**

**"But chocolate is universal," Annabeth said.**

**"Exactly."**

Leo's body almost slumped off the chair before he jerked awake.

_No!_ he told himself. He pinched himself for extra measure. _Stay awake, you can't fall asleep now._

He pulled out some paper clips from his pocket.

**It was a warm June afternoon, but Annabeth accepted the cup with thanks. The two of them** **walked on, Reyna's gold and silver dogs roaming nearby.**

**"In our camp," Reyna said, "Athena is Minerva. Are you familiar with how her Roman form is** **different?"**

"Here we go again." Leo groaned.

"Who could forget?" Annabeth grumbled. _My mother's never been the same since the Romans were mentioned._

**Annabeth hadn't really considered it before. She remembered the way Terminus had called** **Athena _that_ goddess, as if she were scandalous.**

Said goddess scowled.

**Octavian had acted like Annabeth's very existence was** **an insult.**

Annabeth glared at the book. 

**"I take it Minerva isn't...uh, quite as respected here?"**

"My Roman existence is an entire mockery of who I am." Athena growled.

**Reyna blew steam from her cup. "We respect Minerva.**

The goddess of wisdom rolled her eyes and snorted.

**She's the goddess of crafts and** **wisdom...but she isn't really a goddess of war.**

Athena narrowed her eyes. 

"How _dare_ she?" the goddess said with gritted teeth.

**Not for Romans. She's also a maiden goddess, like** **Diana...the one you call Artemis.**

Artemis winced as her form flickered.

Apollo worriedly glanced at her.

**You won't find any children of Minerva here. The idea that** **Minerva would have children—frankly, it's a little shocking to us."**

"Just a little?" Annabeth asked sarcastically.

**"Oh." Annabeth felt her face flush. She didn't want to get into the details of Athena's children**

"And we're not going to." Annabeth said firmly. She glared at the other demigods' questioning looks.

They quickly turned away.

**—** **how they were born straight from the mind of the goddess, just as Athena herself had sprung from the** **head of Zeus.**

_Why say you're not going to go into details, only to then give details on how you were born?_ Annabeth thought, pinching the bridge of her nose.

**Talking about that always made Annabeth feel self-conscious, like she was some sort of** **freak.**

"You're not a freak, Annabeth." Athena told her daughter.

Annabeth sighed.

"You'd think so with all of the weird questions I get. 'Is being super smart really the only power you have?' 'How were you born?' And a personal favorite of mine: 'If you have kids, will they be brain children too?'" she made a face. "Just because I'm a brain child, people assume I'm some sort of alien."

The demigods exchanged guilty looks. 

**People usually asked her whether or not she had a belly button,**

_What does that have to do with anything?_ Annabeth thought, face flushing.

The demigods shifted uncomfortably.

"Well... Since you mentioned it..." Chris trailed off. 

"...Do you...?" Percy finished. 

Annabeth stared at them blankly.

"Really?" she said flatly.

"It's a legitimate question!" Percy defended. "I mean, you sprung out of Athena's head, so it's not like you would have an umbilical cord or anything! Wouldn't it make sense for you to _not_ have one?"

"But that'd be weird." Lacy said, making a face. "Can you imagine seeing someone wearing a crop top but having no belly button? How scary would that be?"

"She could use the Mist to manipulate one." Travis suggested.

"I don't think the Mist works like that..." Katie said with a frown. "Even if it did, wouldn't that be a waste of magic? Couldn't she just wear regular shirts?"

"I guess, but that limits her on how much cute outfits she can wear..." Lacy sighed. 

"Why are you talking about me like I'm not here! I have a belly button! Everyone has a belly button!" Annabeth  snapped.

The demigods looked at her in surprise, even Leo stared at her as if she admitted to having twelve toes.

"Wait, really?" Leo said. He scratched his head. "I always assumed you were sensitive about the topic because you didn't have one..."

"I'm sensitive about the topic because of reactions like these!" Annabeth exclaimed. "Com'on people, are we forgetting that I'm still a human being?!"

"Of course not!" Percy hastily assured her. "We were just... wondering that's all..."

"You and everybody else." she huffed.

"Honestly, people make such a big deal about the simplest things." Athena said, rolling her eyes. "Not having one isn't something to panic over."

"She's just saying that because she forgot to add belly buttons on her first children." Aphrodite said, making a face. 

Annabeth's face looked more solemn at that. Cabin Six still whispered stories about the First Five who were born into a life of misery.

"That's just a rumor!" Athena said, a bit too defensively.

**...She couldn't explain how. She didn't really want to know.**

"One of the World's Seven Greatest Mysteries..." Connor said sagely.

"You know if you're really that interested for details, you can just ask my mother. She's right over there." Annabeth suggested, crossing her arms.

"A mystery..." The Stoll said, pretending he didn't hear her. 

**"I understand that you Greeks don't see things the same way," Reyna continued. "But Romans** **take vows of maidenhood very seriously. The Vestal Virgins, for instance...if they broke their vows** **and fell in love with anyone, they would be buried alive.**

" _Holy Hephaestus!_ Isn't that a bit extreme?" Jake flinched. 

"Even when hunters break their vows, they aren't punished so severely." Thalia winced.

**So the idea that a maiden goddess would have** **children—"**

Athena gnashed her teeth together.

"Is she implying that I would break my vow?!" the goddess growled.

**"Got it." [Annabeth]...** **"I'm not supposed to exist. And even if your camp had children of Minerva—** **"**

**"They wouldn't be like you," Reyna said.** **"They might be craftsmen, artists, maybe advisers, but not warriors. Not leaders of dangerous quests."**

"I'm not the leader." Annabeth frowned.

"You kinda are, I mean, Coach Hedge doesn't listen to just anyone." Leo told her.

"I guess..." The daughter of Athena frowned, unsure how she should react. First the curse, now she has the responsibility of six people on her shoulders. Can she really handle it?

"You won't be doing things alone. We'll help you." Percy told her.

Annabeth nodded her head. "You're right."

**"There's more." Reyna snapped her fingers, and her golden dog, Aurum, trotted over. The praetor** **stroked his ears. "The harpy Ella...it was a prophecy she spoke. We both know that, don't we?"**

**Annabeth swallowed. Something about Aurum's ruby eyes made her uneasy....** **She didn't know if** **that applied to magical metal dogs, but she decided it would be better to tell the truth.**

Annabeth frowned at that.

**"It sounded like a prophecy," she admitted. "But I've never met Ella before today, and I've never** **heard those lines exactly."**

**"I have," Reyna murmured. "At least some of them—"**

**...They wound their way up the hill. The greyhounds followed...**

**Annabeth kept glancing at Reyna's face. A vague memory started tugging at her—the way Reyna** **brushed her hair behind her ear, the silver ring she wore with the torch and sword design.**

_Wait, haven't I seen that before?_ Annabeth thoughtfully frowned. She racked her brain for answers. _It must've been from a quest._

Leo pulled out a few pipe cleaners from his pocket and started twisting them together.

**....Reyna gave her a dry smile. "Very good. Percy didn't remember me.**

"We've met?" Percy said, furrowing his eyebrows. 

**Of course you spoke mostly** **with my older sister Hylla, who is now queen of the Amazons. She left just this morning, before you** **arrived. At any rate, when we last met, I was a mere handmaiden in the house of Circe."**

"Oh! It's _her_!" Annabeth said in surprise. "How did they manage to get off the island?"

Percy's eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "I still don't remember seeing her. Was she the one who welcomed us to the island?"

"No, that was her sister, Hylla." his girlfriend corrected. "Reyna's the one who combed my hair. You probably didn't see her since you were... _talking_ with Circe."

"Yeah, _talking._ " Percy grumbled, scowling at the ground. He'd been craving lettuce for months after that quest.

**...Circe had made her sales pitch: if Annabeth stayed on the island, she could have magical training and incredible power. Annabeth had been tempted, maybe just a little, until she realized the place was a trap, and Percy had been turned into a rodent.**

"A what?!" Travis said, bursting out into laughter. The others soon joined him.

"I've never heard about this before!" Connor said, in between his laughter. "You really got turned into a rat?"

"It was a guinea pig." Percy corrected, feeling his ears turn red when their laughter grew louder.

Annabeth gave him an apologetic smile.

_A Guinea pig._ A voice in Hermes' head chuckled.  _Not as tasty as a rat. But still good for a midnight snack._

Hermes rolled his eyes.

_George, Lord Hermes just turned us off vibrate, don't make him regret it._ Martha scolded.

"Don't feel too bad, it could've been worse." Leo told the son of Poseidon. "You could've been turned into gold."

"Or a dandelion." Nico said dryly.

"Or a tree." Thalia said, before adding with a grimace. "Or an ice statue."

"No, being a guinea pig was worse. At least you guys can't really remember what happened to you. Imagine being stuck in a smelly cage with Captain Fuzz Beard and a couple other hairballs."

"Captain who?!" Travis laughed harder.

Jake waited until everyone calmed down before he continued reading.

**(That last part seemed funny afterward; but at the time,** **it had been terrifying.)**

"I thought I was going to be stuck there forever." Percy shuddered.

**As for Reyna...she'd been one of the servants who had combed Annabeth's** **hair.**

**....[ Reyna] "But I remember you well. You were brave. I'd never seen anyone refuse** **Circe's hospitality, much less outwit her. It's no wonder Percy cares for you."**

**Her voice was wistful.**

"Time to change the subject." Annabeth scowled.

**...They reached the top of the hill, where a terrace overlooked the entire valley.**

**"This is my favorite spot," Reyna said. "The Garden of Bacchus."**

Dionysus reared back at the sudden headache he had.

**Grapevine trellises made a canopy overhead. Bees buzzed through honeysuckle and jasmine, which** **filled the afternoon air with a dizzying mix of perfumes.**

Grover sighed wistfully. "Sounds beautiful." 

Katie nodded in agreement.

**In the middle of the terrace stood a statue of** **Bacchus in a sort of ballet position, wearing nothing but a loincloth,**

Katie, Grover, and a couple other demigods winced at the mental image.

Even the gods shuddered.

"Yeah, I think I'll just look at the garden from a distance." the daughter of Demeter said.

"Who made that?!" Connor gagged.

The god of wine rolled his eyes. "Is it really that bad?"

"I hope that question was rhetorical." Hermes said, making a face.

**Despite her worries, Annabeth almost laughed. She knew the god in his Greek form, Dionysus—** **or Mr. D, as they called him back at Camp Half-Blood. Seeing their cranky old camp director** **immortalized in stone, wearing a diaper and spewing water from his mouth, made her feel a little** **better.**

"Glad I could make you feel better, Anniebelle." Dionysus said dryly.

"Annabeth." Athena corrected with a sigh.

**..."I wanted to hear it from you," Reyna said.**

**Annabeth turned. "Hear what from me?"**

**"The truth," Reyna said. "Convince me that I'm not making a mistake by trusting you. Tell me** **about yourself. Tell me about Camp Half-Blood. Your friend Piper has sorcery in her words.**

Aphrodite and her children frowned at that.

**I spent enough time with Circe to know charmspeak when I hear it. I can't trust what she says.** **And** **Jason...well, he has changed. He seems distant, no longer quite Roman."**

"You guys just saw each other, how do you know he's changed?" Thalia asked. _Just because he comes back with a girlfriend, he's suddenly a different person?_

Annabeth straightened her posture. This is it. The moment she had been dreading. She somehow has to convince Reyna to trust Hera, the most untrustworthy goddess there ever was, and the Greeks, a group of total strangers and old-time rivals. She couldn't rely on Piper or even Jason to save her with their persuasion. She had to deal with this alone.

The daughter of Athena gulped but outwardly looked determined. She couldn't afford to lose this.

**The hurt in her voice was as sharp as broken glass**

Annabeth faltered.

**...** **At least she'd found her boyfriend. Reyna had no** **one.**

Lacy winced sympathetically.

**She was responsible for running an entire camp all by herself. Annabeth could sense that Reyna** **wanted Jason to love her. But he had disappeared, only to come back with a new girlfriend.**

Thalia fidgeted. She looked down at her bow. _Oh._

"But she can find someone else, right?" one of the Aphrodite children said weakly.

"Like who?" Lacy asked.

Nobody responded.

**Meanwhile, Percy had risen to praetor, but he had rebuffed Reyna too.**

Percy went back to staring at his shoes.

**Now Annabeth had come to** **take him away. Reyna would be left alone again, shouldering a job meant for two people.**

Annabeth frowned. How was she supposed to stay mad at Reyna for liking Percy, after hearing something like this? _I hope she didn't take Percy's rejection too personal._ her frown deepened. _I hope Percy was gentle about it._  

While Percy wouldn't mean to hurt her, the son of Poseidon wasn't exactly good at his wording. She could only imagine how that scene played out.

**When Annabeth had arrived at Camp Jupiter, she'd been prepared to negotiate with Reyna or** **even fight her if needed. She hadn't been prepared to feel sorry for her.**

"No kidding." Annabeth muttered. Wasn't she ready to have a battle of wits a couple minutes ago?

**...she told Reyna about her own life. She talked about her dad and stepmom and her two** **stepbrothers in San Francisco, and how she had felt like an outsider in her own family.**

_Great start, is there any way the book can just say I told her my story and not go into any further detail_. Annabeth thought sarcastically. She glared at what she thought was just pitying looks. She didn't see the flash of understanding in some of the demigods' eyes.

  **She talked** **about how she had run away when she was only seven, finding her friends Luke and Thalia and** **making her way to Camp Half-Blood on Long Island.**

Her and Thalia shared a small smile.

**She described the camp and her years growing** **up there. She talked about meeting Percy and the adventures they'd had together.**

Percy grinned at her and rubbed her shoulder.

Annabeth grinned back.

**Annabeth was tempted to tell her about more recent problems:**

Annabeth's grin wavered.

**her fight with her mom,**

The girl's eyes widened in horror. _We fought?!_

One of the things she appreciated about her relationship with her mother was that they nearly had everything in common. They didn't fight about things like she did with her father. Athena was always more understanding than her mortal family had ever been.

_I guess things changed._ she thought sadly.

The goddess of wisdom stared at the book in shock. 

**the gift of** **the silver coin, and the nightmares she'd been having—about an old fear so paralyzing, she'd almost** **decided that she couldn't go on this quest.**

Annabeth felt her face pale. Her body went rigid. _There's only one thing that could make me not want to go on a quest..._

She felt her forehead start to bead sweat. Annabeth gulped.

_Get a hold of yourself._ she sternly told herself as Percy gave her a worried frown. _It can't be what you're thinking._

She struggled to calm herself down.

**But she couldn't bring herself to open up quite that much.**

**When Annabeth was done talking, Reyna gazed over New Rome.... F** **inally Reyna pointed to the cluster of** **temples on the distant hill.**

**"The small red building," she said, "there on the northern side? That's the temple of my mother,** **Bellona."**

Athena scoffed.

**Reyna turned toward Annabeth. "Unlike your mother, Bellona has no Greek equivalent.** **She** **is fully, truly Roman.**

"How unfortunate." the goddess of wisdom sneered.

**She's the goddess of protecting the homeland."**

**Annabeth said nothing. She knew very little about the Roman goddess. She wished she had** **studied up, but Latin never came as easily to her as Greek.**

Annabeth frowned at that. _The information can't all be in Latin, there has to be some in Greek. Maybe Chiron has some books he can lend me or the attic could have something._

**Down below, the hull of the Argo II** **gleamed as it floated over the forum, like some massive bronze party balloon.**

Jake and Nyssa smiled at that.

Leo paled and winced. _Yeah, I gotta say something. At this point, I'm already on the ship, showing Octavian the controls..._

Things were going to be a lot worse if he waited until the very last minute to say something. And knowing Nemesis, she'd be extra sure to include all the details on the damage and fight.

_Be strong, Valdez, you can do this._ he encouraged. _It's not like it was completely your fault._

He shifted uncomfortably. "Er... I don't think 'party balloon' is a good description right now... maybe something more _serio_? Like _'presagio'_   I mean... 'foreshadowing'? Or 'ticking time bomb'?"

The readers went rigid, they slowly turned to him.

"Leo..." Annabeth asked, feeling a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Is something happening on the ship?"

"What did Octavian do?" Percy scowled.

"Well... it's not what _Octavian_ did and more like..." Leo trailed off. He brushed his hair back and sighed. He should really start from the beginning. " _Okay_ , remember when Annabeth said she was having this cold sensation? Turns out that wasn't just a change in temperature or a snowman or whatever, it was a eidolon, a spirit of the dead who can possess people. I didn't know it at the time, but it's possessing me."

He kept his eyes trained on his pipe cleaners.

The readers stared at him in horror.

"That's why you had that creepy smile..." Connor said in realization. "That wasn't you, that was the eidolon."

" _Oh my gods..."_ Annabeth gasped, eyes wide. "Aren't you going back to the ship?!"

"I should be already on the ship by now." Leo said miserably. He kicked his legs. "When I'm giving Octavian the tour, I'm going to walk in front of the ballista and just start firing."

The readers sat in stunned silence at his proclamation.

_And this is all happening while I'm talking to Reyna._ Annabeth grimaced. _She's going to think we were trying to trick her._

She tried to come up with a series of explanations and plans on how to fix this.

Hera was hunched over in her throne, head buried in her hands. Not her most dignified pose, but she couldn't help but do so, after hearing her plan was about to be torn into pieces in a matter of minutes. _How can this be happening...?_

He dared to glance up and winced at the others' expressions. "Sorry!"

"Don't be sorry." Athena brightly smiled. "This was bound to happen eventually, in a way, I should be thanking you for making it happen sooner."

Leo ducked his head in shame. The gods glared at her.

"It's fine." Annabeth said, even though it really wasn't. Leo already looked guilty, there was no point in beating him up about it. "We can come up with ways to stop this." _We have to, this is going to be a disaster._

"Maybe we could enchant the ship to ward off eidolons?" Nyssa suggested.

"Lou Ellen might know something." Travis added. "We could always ask her for advice."

"Would that be enough?" Hades said flatly. "How do we know Gaea wouldn't just come up with something else?"

Nobody had an answer for that. Everybody just settled in an uncomfortable silence, except for Athena and Ares who looked like they were waiting for fireworks to go off.

**"When the Romans go to war," Reyna continued,**  

A few people winced at that.

"Why did she have to say that now?" Percy grimaced.

**"we first visit the Temple of Bellona. Inside is a** **symbolic patch of ground that represents enemy soil. We throw a spear into that ground, indicating** **that we are now at war.** **You see, Romans have always believed that offense is the best defense. In** **ancient times, whenever our ancestors felt threatened by their neighbors, they would invade to protect** **themselves."**

As Jake read this, the other demigods could barely sit still. They were squirming in their seats, eyes darting around the room, hands fidgeting. 

Leo bent his pipe cleaner into a zig-zag. He didn't dare look up at the others, he could hear them moving around anyways. They were probably as anxious about reading him firing the ballista as he was with them hearing it.

**"They conquered everyone around them," Annabeth said. "Carthage, the Gauls—"**

**"And the Greeks." Reyna let that comment hang.**

The tension was so thick, you could cut it with a knife.

Nobody was saying anything, but Leo heard a few breaths hitch.

Jake gulped and kept reading.

**"My point, Annabeth, is that it isn't Rome's nature to cooperate with other powers. Every time Greek and Roman demigods have met, we've fought.** **Conflicts between our two sides have started some of the most horrible wars in human history—especially civil wars."**

The demigods exchanged uneasy looks.

"This is painful!" Travis groaned. He almost wished Leo hadn't said anything, the wait felt ten times worse than a surprise. 

**"It doesn't have to be that way," Annabeth said. "We've got to work together, or Gaea will destroy** **us both."**

"Hurry up and convince her!" Annabeth muttered under her breath. "You have to get back on the ship before it's too late."

**"I agree," Reyna said. "But is cooperation possible? What if Juno's plan is flawed? Even goddesses** **can make mistakes."**

The goddess glared at the book half-heartedly, but couldn't bring herself to be truly mad. Gaea was about to prove to everyone just how flawed her plan was from the start.

She almost wanted Jake to hurry up and get to the attack of New Rome, they might as well just get it over with. 

_Zeus is never going to allow me to attempt this plan._ she thought grimly. The goddess glanced at her husband. Like the other gods, Zeus was staring ahead, face expressionless as he waited for the inevitable. 

As if he sensed her looking at him, he gave her a sidelong glance.

_You really thought this was going to work._ his eyes said, accusatory.

**..."I don't trust the goddess," Annabeth admitted. "But I do trust my friends. This isn't a trick,** **Reyna. We can work together."**

"Please let this work. Please. _Please._ " Hestia murmured under her breath.

**..."I believe you mean it," she said.**

Annabeth and a few others sighed in relief.

**"But if you go to the ancient lands, especially Rome itself, there is** **something you should know about your mother."**

Heart still hammering in her chest, Annabeth stiffened. 

**..."My—my mother?"**

**"When I lived on Circe's island," Reyna said, "we had many visitors. Once, perhaps a year before** **you and Percy arrived, a young man washed ashore. He was half mad from thirst and heat. He'd been** **drifting at sea for days. His words didn't make much sense, but he said he was a son of Athena."**

Athena's shoulders slumped at that. She frowned. 

Annabeth frowned as well, but more out of confusion. "That couldn't have been anyone from Camp. He must've been gone for a while."

**..."What happened to this demigod?" she asked.**

**Reyna waved her hand as if the question was trivial. "Circe turned him into a guinea pig, of** **course. He made quite a crazy little rodent.**

Athena scowled. "Thanks for being so _gentle_ and _sympathetic_ when saying what happened to her brother." _I should've expected much from a Roman._

Percy worriedly frowned. _Wait, was he one of those guinea pigs I was in the cage with?_

He shivered.

**But before that, he kept raving about his failed quest. He** **claimed that he'd gone to Rome, following the Mark of Athena."**

Annabeth felt a chill run down her spine. She leaned back in her chair for support. _What happened to him?_

Percy grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

**[Reyna]... "He kept muttering about wisdom's child, the Mark of** **Athena, and the giants' bane standing pale and gold. The same lines Ella was just reciting. But you say** **that you've never heard them before today?"**

**"Not—not the way Ella said them." Annabeth's voice was weak. She wasn't lying. She'd never** **heard that prophecy, but her mother had charged her with following the Mark of Athena; and as she** **thought about the coin in her pocket, a horrible suspicion began taking root in her mind. She** **remembered her mother's scathing words. She thought about the strange nightmares she'd been** **having lately.**

"What's going on? What strange nightmares? What exactly did Mother say to get us into an argument?" Annabeth muttered, her mind racing with questions.

**"Did this demigod—did he explain his quest?"**

**Reyna shook her head. "At the time, I had no idea what he was talking about. Much later, when I** **became praetor of Camp Jupiter, I began to suspect."**

Desperate for answers, Annabeth leaned forward.

**"Suspect...what?"**

**"There is an old legend that the praetors of Camp Jupiter have passed down through the centuries.** **If it's true, it may explain why our two groups of demigods have never been able to work together. It** **may be the cause of our animosity. Until this old score is finally settled, so the legend goes, Romans** **and Greeks will never be at peace. And the legend centers on Athena—"**

"What is it? What centers on Athena?" Annabeth asked feverishly. _Com'on, just say it._

**A shrill sound pierced the air. Light flashed in the corner of Annabeth's eye.**

"Damn it!" Annabeth swore. _Really, the eidolon choses now to fire at New Rome? Where were you when nothing was happening?_

"Oh my gods! It's starting!" Katie squeaked.

Athena smiled wickedly.

"Finally!" Ares exclaimed, stretching his arms. "I thought the attack would _never_ happen! I was just about to die from boredom!" He suddenly winced in pain.

Aphrodite pointedly glared at him. The other gods were too busy struggling to maintain forms to get angry at Ares.

"Please don't let the damage be too bad," Percy muttered a quick prayer to the Fates. He didn't know if they took prayers (or begging, same thing in this case), but he had to try. "I know this is in the future, but you guys are powerful. Can't you do something? We really need this alliance to work."

**She turned in time to see an explosion blast a new crater in the forum.** **A burning couch tumbled** **through the air. Demigods scattered in panic.**

"That's at the center of the camp!" Athena beamed at Leo. "Nice shot! It's a perfect place to start!"

Her form flickered, Minerva tapped her chin in mock thought. "You know where I'd aim next?"

"Where?" Ares groaned out, still fighting the splitting pain in his head. His form was rippling, like waves in the ocean.

"I'd go directly for their precious Senate House." she sneered. "They always bragged about how powerful they were with their military and government. It's about time they were taken down a peg!" she glanced back Leo again and smirked. "Who would've guessed you'd be the one to do it?"

"I'm starting to see why Poseidon finds you so annoying!" Hephaestus snapped, both hands holding his aching head. He felt like it was being torn in half.

Despite the pain, Poseidon rolled his eyes. " _Really? Now?_ You must've been head over heels for her, if you've been this oblivious to how annoying she can be. We don't call her a brat for nothing!"

"The only person who calls me a brat is you, _Neptune!"_

The god winced as his form flickered.

"Dad?" Percy said worriedly.

"I'm fine. Everybody's okay." Poseidon said. He managed to give his son what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Let's just continue reading."

**"Giants?" Annabeth reached for her dagger, which of course wasn't there.**

"Stupid Terminus." Annabeth grumbled. She continued worriedly eyeing the gods. 

One minute they were in their Greek form, next they were in their Roman form. Either form they turned into, they still looked ready to tear Hera/Juno apart. Aphrodite was sitting in her throne, choosing to remain quiet and out of the way from their moody wrath.

**"I thought their army** **was defeated!"**

**"It isn't the giants." Reyna's eyes seethed with rage. "You've betrayed our trust."**

"I knew this was a bad idea! I just knew it! We should've used the Mist from the start!" Demeter nagged. "But does anybody listen to me? _No!_ Of course not! 'She's just a crazy lady who loves cereal! What does she know?' Well I'll have you know, I know a lot of things, and that's why-"

"Will you shut up?!" Hades snapped. " _Fates!_ You're making my headache worse!"

"Is that supposed to be my problem?" Demeter sneered.

"This all Ju... Her... _her_ fault!" Hermes/Mercury accused. "If the giants don't kill us, then these headaches will!"

"I did what I thought was best! And there might still be a way to fix it!" Juno hissed. "What the demigods should do is-"

" _Please_ , spare us from yet another one of your hair-brained schemes." Zeus interrupted her. "This plan was doomed from the start, we should've stayed quiet and kept the demigods apart, just like _I_ decided. Everything was going fine until then!"

"And how long do you think that would have lasted?" Hephaestus/Vulcan snapped.

"Please, let's just stop fighting." Hestia said. Eyes squeezed shut, she rubbed her temples. "We need to know what happens next..."

"Do we want to know what happens after this?" Jupiter asks with a scowl.

"You should. We're reading this to prevent the giants overthrowing us." Hestia reminded, she cracked one eye open and stared at him.

Wincing, the god's form flickered back to Greek. Zeus gestured Jake to keep reading.

**"What? No!"**

**As soon as she said it, the Argo II launched a second volley.**

The demigods recoiled.

"Can't you fight it?" Katie pleaded with Leo. "Isn't there something you can do to stop it from destroying half the city."

Leo grimaced. " _Lo siento,"_ at Katie's confused expression he quickly corrected himself. "Sorry, there wasn't much I could do. It's like charmspeak only you know something is wrong, but you can't do anything about it." 

"I hope I'm going back to the ship, I have to do something." Percy frowned. "Where am I?"

Leo winced. "Probably caught up in one of the angry mobs..."

The demigods paled.

"Crap." Thalia muttered, brushing her hair back. _Where's Jay and Piper?_

**Its port ballista fired a massive spear** **wreathed in Greek fire, which sailed straight through the broken dome of the Senate House and** **exploded inside, lighting up the building like a jack-o'-lantern.**

"Greek fire!" Athena/Minerva cackled. "A nice touch! Really shows those Romans whose boss!"

The other gods (now in their Roman forms) looked stricken by the description.

**If anyone had been in there...**

Leo looked queasy at the thought.

"Of course, there might not be anyone in there." Annabeth quickly told him, seeing the self-loathing in his eyes. "Everybody could've already evacuated the building!" 

"We don't know that for sure." he muttered.

**"Gods, no." A wave of nausea almost made Annabeth's knees buckle. "Reyna, it isn't possible.** **We'd never do this!"**

**The metal dogs ran to their mistress's side. They snarled at Annabeth but paced uncertainly, as if** **reluctant to attack.**

**"You're telling the truth," Reyna judged.**

The demigods looked relieved to hear this.

"Okay, things are going horribly, but at least Reyna trusts her." Will sighed. 

"But the Roman people already see the Greeks as an enemy." Nico said with a solemn expression. "Even if she believes their innocence, the Roman people wouldn't take her word for it. Her reputation is influential, but it's not strong enough to sway the crowd."

" _Great."_ Jake said sarcastically.

**"Perhaps you were not aware of this treachery, but** **someone must pay."**

"Believe me, I am." Leo muttered, still taking in the description of the Senate House in flames. Did he really do all that? Was there truly nothing he could've done? It was _his_ body, did he really have no control over what was happening, or did he just not try hard enough?

**Down in the forum, chaos was spreading. Crowds were pushing and shoving. Fistfights were** **breaking out.**

Athena smiled and rolled her eyes. "Fools."

**..."We have to stop it!" [Annabeth]** **  
**

**Annabeth had a horrible feeling this might be the last time Reyna and she ever acted in** **agreement, but together they ran down the hill.**

Annabeth grimaced.

**If weapons had been allowed in the city, Annabeth's friends would have already been dead.**

Thalia and Aphrodite winced. The other godly parents were too busy fighting off their Roman forms to really react.

**The** **Roman demigods in the forum had coalesced into an angry mob. Some threw plates, food, and rocks** **at the Argo II, which was pointless, as most of the stuff fell back into the crowd.**

Athena/Minerva didn't bother to hide her laughter. 

"You'll have to do better than that if you want to cause some real damage! Where's your weapons?" Minerva asked. "Maybe you should try praying to your Bellona!"

"I swear if I hear one more wisecrack..." Poseidon/Neptune trailed off, his head feeling like it was going to burst.  

**Several dozen Romans had surrounded Piper and Jason, who were trying to calm them without** **much luck. Piper's charmspeak was useless against so many screaming, angry demigods.** **Jason's** **forehead was bleeding.**

Thalia stiffened. "What happened?!" 

Will winced.

**His purple cloak had been ripped to shreds. He kept pleading, "I'm on your** **side!" but his orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt didn't help matters—nor did the warship overhead,** **firing flaming spears into New Rome. One landed nearby and blasted a toga shop to rubble.**

"There goes somebody's livelihood. Hope there wasn't anyone in there too." Leo muttered bitterly to himself. He drummed his fingers on his knee. _When is this chapter going to be over?_

**...Armed legionnaires were hurrying toward the forum. Two artillery crews had set up catapults just** **outside the Pomerian Line and were preparing to fire at the Argo II.**

Annabeth paled. "We have to go."

"What about Frank and Hazel?" Percy frowned. "Will they still want to come after this?"

"Leo said they did." the daughter of Athena reminded. _Don't know how they could be so forgiving..._

If things had went the other way around, she would've never forgave the Romans for attacking Camp Half-Blood.

**"That'll just make things worse," Annabeth said.**

**"I hate my job," Reyna growled. She rushed off toward the legionnaires, her dogs at her side.**

**Percy, Annabeth thought, scanning the forum desperately. Where are you?**

"That's what I want to know." Percy said. He wished he still had his Achilles heel, at least he would know he was safe from harm.

**Two Romans tried to grab her. She ducked past them, plunging into the crowd. As if the angry** **Romans, burning couches, and exploding buildings weren't confusing enough, hundreds of purple ghosts drifted through the forum, passing straight through the demigods' bodies and wailing** **incoherently.**

A few demigods shuddered.

Lacy whimpered.

**The fauns had also taken advantage of the chaos. They swarmed the dining tables,** **grabbing food, plates, and cups. One trotted by Annabeth with his arms full of tacos and an entire** **pineapple between his teeth.**

"They're not even going to help?!" Grover exclaimed in disbelief.

"It's better this way." Clarisse said. "The last thing we need is fauns adding magic into the mix." 

She didn't know if they were as experienced in nature magic as the satyrs at Camp, but now wasn't the time to find out.

**A statue of Terminus exploded into being, right in front of Annabeth.**

"Not now, Terminus." Annabeth muttered. _I swear if he tries to start a conservation..._

"Just move!" Percy said impatiently.

**He yelled at her in Latin,** **no doubt calling her a liar and a rule breaker; but she pushed the statue over and kept running.**

**Finally she spotted Percy. He and his friends, Hazel and Frank, were standing in the middle of a** **fountain as Percy repelled the angry Romans with blasts of water. Percy's toga was in tatters, but he** **looked unhurt.**

Annabeth, Percy, and Nico sighed with relief. 

**Annabeth called to him as another explosion rocked the forum. This time the flash of light was directly overhead. One of the Roman catapults had fired, and the Argo II groaned and tilted sideways, flames bubbling over its bronze-plated hull.** Jake frowned. 

"That's going to take a while to fix." he grumbled.

"Who cares? They just need to get out of here." Lacy said, panicked.

**Annabeth noticed a figure clinging desperately to the rope ladder, trying to climb down. It was** **Octavian, his robes steaming and his face black with soot.**

Wincing at another flash of pain, Apollo scoffed. " _Great._ Just what I wanted to hear with my headache, _Octavian's back._ "

**..."Annabeth!" Percy called. "What—?"**

**"I don't know!" she yelled.**

**"I'll tell you what!" cried a voice from above. Octavian had reached the bottom of the ladder. "The** **Greeks have fired on us! Your boy Leo has trained his weapons on Rome!"**

Leo winced.

**"You're lying," she said. "Leo would never—"**

_She believed me?_ Leo thought before biting his lip. _And I let her down._

**"I was just there!" Octavian shrieked. "I saw it with my own eyes!"**

**The Argo II returned fire.**

"Okay, how about we stop fighting and focus on stopping the eidolon." Annabeth said firmly.

**...There was no time for anyone to figure out the truth. The crew from Camp Half-Blood was outnumbered a hundred to one, and even if Octavian had managed to stage some sort of trick (which she thought likely), they'd never be able to convince the Romans before they were overrun and killed.**

The demigods stiffened.

**"We have to leave," she told Percy. "Now."**

**He nodded grimly. "Hazel, Frank, you've got to make a choice. Are you coming?"**

**Hazel looked terrified, but she donned her cavalry helmet. "Of course we are. But you'll never** **make it to the ship unless we buy you some time."**

"How are you going to do that?" Nico frowned worriedly. _Don't do anything crazy, Hazel. I don't want to end up like Thalia..._

**...Hazel whistled. Instantly a blur of beige shot across the forum. A majestic horse materialized next** **to the fountain. He reared, whinnying and scattering the mob. Hazel climbed on his back like she'd** **been born to ride. Strapped to the horse's saddle was a Roman cavalry sword.**

**Hazel unsheathed her golden blade. "Send me an Iris-message when you're safely away, and we'll** **rendezvous," she said. "Arion, ride!"**

**The horse zipped through the crowd with incredible speed, pushing back Romans and causing** **mass panic.**

**...Then, from halfway across the forum, she heard Jason shouting.**

Thalia tensed.

**"Romans!" he cried. "Please!" He and Piper were being pelted with plates and stones.**

Aphrodite squeezed her armrests.

**Jason tried to shield Piper, but a brick** **caught him above the eye. He crumpled, and the crowd surged forward.**

"WHAT?!" Thalia yelled over the gods' groans of pain. She grabbed her bow and her legs tensed. The daughter of Zeus looked ready to race to Camp Jupiter and find the culprit. "Who threw that?! Who throws a brick at a kid?!"

"It's okay, the others can fix that with ambrosia." Will tried to assure her.

"This isn't the first time he's had his head hit! Why is this a thing? Does his head have some kind of target on it that only I can't see?" Thalia said angrily. 

**"Get back!" Piper screamed. Her charmspeak rolled over the mob, making them hesitate, but** **Annabeth knew the effect wouldn't last. Percy and she couldn't possibly reach them in time to help.**

**"Frank," Percy said, "it's up to you. Can you help them?"**

**Annabeth didn't understand how Frank could do that all by himself, but he swallowed nervously.**

**"Oh, gods," he murmured. "Okay, sure. Just get up the ropes. Now."**

**Percy and Annabeth lunged for the ladder. Octavian was still clinging to the bottom,**

"You're _still_ here?" Apollo managed to say through gritted teeth.

**but Percy** **yanked him off and threw him into the mob.**

**They began to climb as armed legionnaires flooded into the forum. Arrows whistled past** **Annabeth's head. An explosion almost knocked her off the ladder. Halfway up, she heard a roar below** **and glanced down.**

**Romans screamed and scattered as a full-sized dragon charged through the forum—a beast even** **scarier than the bronze dragon figurehead on the Argo II.**

Despite how he felt about the current situation, Leo couldn't help but make a face at that.

"Okay, maybe now that Festus doesn't have a body." he reluctantly admitted. "But before that, Frank wouldn't be _nearly_ as terrifying as Festus was."

"That's Frank?" Katie said, eyes wide. "When you said he could shapeshift, I thought you meant like a bunny or a dog, I didn't know you meant mystical beasts."

"He could turn into those too." he responded. "He could turn into any animal, it's just maintaining the form that's the problem."

**Without the dragon and Hazel's horse to distract the archers, they never would have made it up** **the ladder; but finally they climbed past a row of broken aerial oars and onto the deck. The rigging** **was on fire. The foresail was ripped down the middle, and the ship listed badly to starboard.**

"The ship's going to need a few repairs after damages like this." Nyssa observed.

"Will it still be able to move?" Annabeth hurriedly asked.

"I think so, but I don't think it can go very far." Jake told her. He sighed. "All that hard work..."

Nyssa nudged him and glanced meaningfully at Leo.

Leo's shoulders were slumped and he stared at the ground.

"Oh!" he resisted the urge to slap his forehead. _Me and my big mouth!_  

"It's not too bad," Jake was quick to add. "With the right materials, you can fix it in no time flat."

"Yeah," Leo said, forcing himself to grin. "You're right."

**There was no sign of Coach Hedge,**

"Oh yeah! I forgot he was still on the ship." Travis said with a frown. "What happened to him?"

"I think he was still watching reruns." Leo said. 

" _Seriously?"_ Annabeth groaned. _I guess it was a good thing he didn't show, who knows what he would've done._ she shuddered at the thought.

**but Leo stood amidships, calmly reloading the ballista.**  

"Is that how I looked?" Leo shivered. _No wonder why Percy tackled me, he probably thought I was crazy._

"That's not you, it's the eidolon." Annabeth corrected. "You didn't have control over your actions at this point."

**Annabeth's gut twisted with horror.**

**"Leo!" she screamed. "What are you _doing_?"**

**"Destroy them..." He faced Annabeth. His eyes were glazed. His movements were like a robot's.** **"Destroy them all."**

The demigods shuddered.

" _Holy Hephaestus..."_ Leo muttered. _I'm so glad I melted that thing._

"Took the words right out of my mouth." Minerva said with a smile.

Leo glared at her.

**He turned back to the ballista, but Percy tackled him. Leo's head hit the deck hard, and his eyes** **rolled up so that only the whites showed.**

Percy winced at the description. "Sorry, Leo."

Said boy shrugged. "It's not like I didn't deserve it."

**The gray dragon soared into view. It circled the ship once and landed at the bow, depositing Jason** **and Piper, who both collapsed.**

**"Go!" Percy yelled. "Get us out of here!"**

**With a shock, Annabeth realized he was talking to her.**

**She ran for the helm. She made the mistake of glancing over the rail and saw armed legionnaires** **closing ranks in the forum, preparing flaming arrows. Hazel spurred Arion, and they raced out of the** **city with a mob chasing after them.**

Nico bit his lip. _Be careful._

**More catapults were being wheeled into range. All along the** **Pomerian Line, the statues of Terminus were glowing purple, as if building up energy for some kind** **of attack.**

**Annabeth looked over the controls. She cursed Leo for making them so complicated.**

"What?" Leo said in surprise. He turned to Annabeth.

"You told me that you understood everything..." he said, sounding betrayed.

"That was future me," she corrected. "Present-day me would like you to make the controls less complicated this time around."

**No time for** **fancy maneuvers, but she did know one basic command: _Up._**

**She grabbed the aviation throttle and yanked it straight back. The ship groaned. The bow tilted** **up at a horrifying angle. The mooring lines snapped, and the Argo II shot into the clouds.**

"That's the end of the chapter." Jake said.

Hearing that, Annabeth and Leo relaxed.

"Finally," Leo said. "I thought it would never end."

"You're telling me." she said. _Hopefully we won't be reading my chapters for a while._

The gods, finally gaining their Greek forms, sighed with relief.

"I hope all the chapters aren't like this..." Hermes said, shoulders slumping as the pain subsided. "I don't think I'll be able to take more of that."

"Are you okay, Dad?" Percy asked.

"I'm doing better. Thank you." Poseidon told him

"I'll read next." Mitchell said, taking the book.

" **Leo V** ,"

Leo groaned. " _Great._ Why am I not surprised."

Annabeth frowned sympathetically. "Sorry."

"It's alright, it's not like I'm new to this." Leo told her. _Let's just hope it's not as bad as The Lost Hero's._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thank you to all the people who are commenting on the story, I know it's not easy to write feedback but I really do appreciate your kind words no matter what the length is. They help give me ideas on where I should take my story or what parts of the book I should focus reactions on.


	5. Leo V

" **Leo V** ," Mitchell began.

_And so it begins..._ Leo thought. He wrapped the pipe cleaners around his arm like a bracelet. _Hopefully this isn't as bad as The Lost Hero._

He also hoped he didn't jinx himself.

**Leo wished he could invent a time machine.**

"Been there, done that. Didn't work as I planned." Leo sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have rushed."

"It's a good thing you tripped over Clovis or who knows what would've happened." Katie said.

**He'd go back two hours and undo what had** **happened. Either that, or he could invent a Slap-Leo-in-the-Face machine to punish himself, though** **he doubted it would hurt as badly as the look Annabeth was giving him.**

Percy and the demigods winced.

"I know exactly what face you're talking about too..." Percy said, shuddering as the mental image appeared in his head. "Make sure you don't avoid eye contact. You'll just make her angrier."

" _Please,_ I'm not that bad." Annabeth rolled her eyes.

**"One more time," she said. "Exactly what happened?"**

**Leo slumped against the mast. His head still throbbed from hitting the deck.**

Will frowned. "Did you take something for it or put on an ice pack?"

Leo shook his head. "Didn't have time. I needed to fix the ship."

"Taking a Tylenol would only be a couple of minutes." the son of Apollo insisted.

"I can handle a little bit of pain." Leo assured him. "Besides, it didn't hurt that bad."

"You fell on the ground so hard, you went unconscious and now you're complaining that your head is throbbing. _Yeah,_ I don't see any need to worry here." Will said sarcastically.

**All around him, his** **beautiful new ship was in shambles.**

Nyssa and Jake winced, but otherwise tried not to look too upset. Leo already felt bad enough as it is.

**The aft crossbows were piles of kindling. The foresail was** **tattered. The satellite array that powered the on board Internet and TV was blown to bits, which had** **really made Coach Hedge mad.**

Grover sighed and shook his head.

**... He choked back a sob. "I don't know. It's fuzzy."**

"Because of Percy tackling you or because of the eidolon?" Will asked.

Leo shrugged. "Both?"

He buttoned up his jacket.

**Too many people were looking at him: Annabeth (Leo hated to make her angry; that girl scared** **him),**

"What?" Annabeth frowned. She turned to the son of Hephaestus. "You think I'm scary?"

"Only when you're mad." Leo slowly admitted. He played with the cuffs on his jacket before he continued. "I still can't forget that time you hopped out of Butch's chariot with that _'Give Me Percy Jackson Or Die'_ expression on your face."

_He has a name for it?_ The daughter of Athena cringed. "That was different, I went through a lot when I went to the Wilderness School and here, I didn't know you were possessed. I'm usually not that bad." she turned to the other demigods. "Right?"

They hesitated, even Percy seemed to freeze at the question.

Annabeth's frown deepened. "Right?"

"For the most part, you can keep a cool head..." Connor ventured. "But when you're mad, you're fricking terrifying." He shuddered before turning to his brother. "Remember when Annabeth tried to kill me? If you and Luke hadn't been there to pull her off..." 

Connor trailed off. His eyes went vacant as if reliving the moment.

Leo stared at him in horror before giving Annabeth a cautious glance.

She scoffed at the Stoll.

"Don't feel bad for him." Annabeth told Leo. She scowled at Connor. "He deserved what he got, after he put a tarantula _in my bunk!_ You know how I feel about spiders!"

"Gonna have to side with Annabeth on this one, dude." Travis agreed. "That was a dumb idea."

Connor snapped out of his daze and glared at him. "I did it because you dared me!"

"And I didn't think you'd be stupid to do it!" Travis snapped. "Com'on Connor, really? Put a tarantula in _Annabeth's_ bunk? Did that sound smart to you? At least put it in Malcolm's. He wouldn't have tried to rip your arms off!"

Connor rubbed his shoulder. "I can still feel the pain sometimes..."

"And you still prank our cabin, so you obviously didn't learn anything." Annabeth rolled her eyes.

_Note to self: Catch and release every spider found on the Argo II._ Leo thought cautiously.

**Coach Hedge with his furry goat legs, his orange polo shirt, and his baseball bat (did he have to** **carry that everywhere?),**

"As long as he's not using it for anything, it's fine..." Grover said with a sigh.

**and the newcomer, Frank. Leo wasn't sure what to make of Frank. He looked like a baby sumo wrestler,**

 A couple people laughed at this.

"Ouch!" Hermes chuckled. "I hope you didn't say that to him!"

"No! I don't have a death wish!" Leo replied, smiling despite his words.

He unbuttoned his jacket.

**Annabeth crossed her arms. "You mean you don't remember?"**

**"I..." Leo felt like he was trying to swallow a marble. "I remember, but it's like I was watching** **myself do things. I couldn't control it."**

"That must've been terrible." Katie frowned.

"I didn't know what was happening, I thought I was going crazy." Leo said. 

**..."Look, kid," Hedge said, "you blew up some stuff. You attacked some Romans. Awesome!** **Excellent!**

Athena smirked in agreement. _That was the best part of the entire book._

"What?" Annabeth said flatly.

"He's joking, right?" Percy deadpanned. 

"No, he's not." Grover said, looking unimpressed.

**But did you have to knock out the satellite channels? I was right in the middle of watching** **a cage match."**

" _Oh my gods..._ " Annabeth breathed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Somebody give him something to do. I can't listen to this anymore."

**"Coach," Annabeth said, "why don't you make sure all the fires are out?"**

**"But I already did that."**

"Please... Just go..."

**"Do it again."**

**The satyr trudged off, muttering under his breath.**

"Good choice." Percy chuckled.

**Even Hedge wasn't crazy enough to defy** **Annabeth.**

"I'm really not that bad." Annabeth insisted.

**She knelt next to Leo. Her gray eyes were as steely as ball bearings. Her blond hair fell loose** **around her shoulders,**

Percy smiled fondly.

**but Leo didn't find that attractive.**

Annabeth blinked. "Okay, _ouch."_

"I didn't mean it like that!" Leo said hurriedly.

"Then what did you mean?"

Leo's eyes darted around the room, he rubbed the back of his neck. "I dunno, that you're not my type?"

"Couldn't you have worded it better?"

"I didn't mean to say it like that!"

"It's okay Annabeth." Percy said, kissing her cheek. "I think you're attractive."

The daughter of Athena smiled and rolled her eyes. "I know you do, Percy."

Leo sighed and gave Percy a look of gratitude.

**He had no idea where the stereotype of** **dumb giggly blondes came from.**

"From someone who hasn't met me." Annabeth said, crossing her arms.

**Ever since he'd met Annabeth at the Grand Canyon last winter,** **when she'd marched toward him with that _Give me Percy Jackson or I'll kill you_ expression, **

Annabeth frowned at that.

**Leo thought** **of blondes as much too smart and much too dangerous.**

"It's nice that you don't think I'm dumb, but you don't need to be scared of me." Annabeth said. "You could come to me whenever you have a problem."

Leo grinned. "I know."

**"Leo," she said calmly, "did Octavian trick you somehow? Did he frame you, or—"**

**"No." Leo could have lied and blamed that stupid Roman, but he didn't want to make a bad** **situation worse. "The guy was a jerk, but he didn't fire on the camp. I did."**

"I don't think the Romans would believe you anyway." Hermes said. "Even if you didn't do it, they're already set on starting a war with the Greeks."

**The new kid, Frank, scowled. "On purpose?"**

**"No!" Leo squeezed his eyes shut. "Well, yes...I mean, I didn't want to. But at the same time, I felt** **like I wanted to. Something was making me do it. There was this cold feeling inside me—"**

"Now she'll know the truth." Annabeth muttered.

**"A cold feeling." Annabeth's tone changed. She sounded almost...scared.**

**...From below decks, Percy called up, "Annabeth, we need you."**

**_Oh_ , _gods_ , Leo thought. _Please let Jason be okay._**

Thalia tensed and tightened her grip on her bow.

**As soon as they'd gotten on board, Piper had taken Jason below. The cut on his head had looked** **pretty bad.**

"Head injuries always look worse than they are." Will told the paling daughter of Zeus.

**Leo had known Jason longer than anyone at Camp Half-Blood. They were best friends. If** **Jason didn't make it...**

"Don't say that!" Thalia snapped at Leo. "We've already lost him once."

"Sorry." Leo told her. He took out scissors and paper.

He folded the paper.

**"He'll be fine." Annabeth's expression softened. "Frank, I'll be back. Just...watch Leo. Please."**

**...If it was possible for Leo to feel worse, he did. Annabeth now trusted a Roman demigod she'd known for like, three seconds, more than she trusted Leo.**

"It's not that I don't trust you." Annabeth told him. "We don't know if the eidolon is really gone yet. It's better if someone's there to watch you just in case it possess your body again."

"You think it'll come back?" Lacy squeaked. 

Annabeth nodded unhappily. "We didn't make it go away. All Percy did was just knock out Leo's body. It could be anywhere."

The other readers stiffened at this.

**Once she was gone, Leo and Frank stared at each other...** **Leo remembered the time he had met the Hunters of Artemis—a bunch of** **cute lithe girls in silvery clothes, all armed with bows.**

The Hunters of Artemis glared at him.

Leo unfolded his paper to reveal a snowflake.

**He imagined Frank frolicking along with them.**

Leo snickered at the mental image.

**The idea was so ridiculous, it almost made him feel better.**

**"So," Frank said. "Your name isn't Sammy?"**

Leo's laughter died at that. He scowled. _Really? We have to bring up Sammy now? Couldn't it have waited until the end of the book? Maybe make it a cliffhanger?_

Annabeth blinked. "Who?"

Connor frowned. "What kind of question is that?"

The other readers looked confused. Even Hephaestus looked like he had no idea what Frank was talking about. The only people who seemed to have a flicker of recognition were Nico, Hades (now changing to Pluto), and (much to Leo's dread) Aphrodite.

At the mention of Sammy, Nico jolted. He might not have seen the guy before, but he had heard that name enough times to know that Frank was talking about his sister's old boyfriend. He stared at Leo in shock, wondering what was his connection to the other boy. He then remembered Hazel's earlier reactions, how she was nervous and seemed to recognize who Leo was. Is it possible that Sammy had been reborn into Leo?

Nico froze. He thought back to the little stories Hazel would tell him. How Sammy had defended her from bullies, how he was always the troublemaker at school, how he made her laugh. These things didn't sound too far off from what Leo would do. But would it be a stretch to say they were the same person?

_Bianca is going to be reborn._ he suddenly thought. _Maybe Sammy did the same thing._

Thinking about his other sister suddenly made his stomach sink, but Nico ignored it as he considered his theory.

_It's still too soon to tell,_ he thought. _But it's a big maybe._

The moment the Roman god looked at the boy, he knew that he must be related to Sammy. The resemblance was too strong for him not to be. He had the same hair, short height, even that troublemaker smile that made Pluto hesitant with his daughter being around Sammy. He was feeling a similar uneasiness as he realized Leo could be the thing that keeps Hazel from finally letting go of her past.

_What was the chance of this happening?_ the god of the dead thought, feeling the beginnings of a headache. Partially from his Greek side, partially from the inevitable drama.

Unlike the other two, Aphrodite was practically beaming at Leo as if he were a gift from the Fates. She wasn't sure if Leo was Sammy or not, but she couldn't help but fall in love with the list of circumstances that brought him and Hazel together. What were the odds of Hazel coming back from the dead? What were the odds of her meeting this Sammy look-alike? What was the likelihood of this Sammy look-alike being a demigod, let alone a demigod going on the same quest as Hazel?

It was string of rare circumstances and Aphrodite couldn't help but be thrilled to see the outcome. Would this cause a strain in Hazel and Frank's relationship? Will Hazel fall in love for Leo, or just the thought of having Sammy again? How did Leo feel about Hazel? What if he liked her too?!

So much still unknown! All that potential drama!

_This book's going to be so much fun! _she giggled.

Leo crossed his arms and glared at the ceiling. He pretended not to notice the three regarding him like an animal at the zoo. 

**Leo scowled. "What kind of question is that?"**

_And why did you chose now to bring it up?_ Leo thought. Still not making eye contact with the three, he folded his paper.

**"Nothing," Frank said quickly. "I just— Nothing. About the firing on the camp...Octavian could** **be behind it, like magically or something. He didn't want the Romans getting along with you guys."**

"He didn't, but Octavian wouldn't do something like that." Apollo said. "He might be a self-absorbed idiot, but the kid loves New Rome too much."

**Leo wanted to believe that. He was grateful to this kid for not hating him. But he knew it hadn't** **been Octavian. Leo had walked to a ballista and started firing. Part of him had known it was wrong.**

Athena snorted. "Wrong? Hardly."

**Maybe he was going crazy. The stress of all those months working on the Argo II might've finally** **made him crack.**

"You aren't going crazy, but you really should've taken breaks." Will said, giving him a meaningful look.

"I can handle it." Leo said dismissively. He bit back a yawn.

"Uh-huh." Will said, looking unimpressed.

**But he couldn't think about that. He needed to do something productive. His hands needed to be** **busy.**

**Fortunately the bronze dragon wasn't damaged. Well, aside from the fact that last winter he'd lost** **everything except his head—but Leo didn't count that.**

"Thanks for reminding me." Leo muttered, glaring at the book.

**When they reached the bow of the ship, the figurehead turned a hundred and eighty degrees to** **look at them. Frank yelped and backed away.**

A few people chuckled at this.

**"It's alive!" he said.**

"Very observant." Hermes grinned.

**Leo would have laughed if he hadn't felt so bad. "Yeah. Frank, this is Festus. He used to be a full** **bronze dragon, but we had an accident."**

**"You have a lot of accidents," Frank noted.**

_Tell me about it._ Leo thought, sighing.

**"Well, some of us can't turn into dragons, so we have to build our own." Leo arched his eyebrows** **at Frank. "Anyway, I revived him as a figurehead. He's kind of the ship's main interface now. How are** **things looking, Festus?"**

**Festus snorted smoke and made a series of squeaking, whirring sounds. Over the last few months,** **Leo had learned to interpret this machine language. Other demigods could understand Latin and** **Greek. Leo could speak Creak and Squeak.**

Apollo and Leo snickered as the others groaned.

"What? It's tongue and cheek!" Leo said to them.

"I thought it was cute!" Apollo said brightly.

"This might be your worst joke yet." Nico said dryly.

"I don't know..." Annabeth said with a grimace. "'Breeze through' was pretty terrible."

**"Ugh," Leo said. "Could be worse, but the hull is compromised in several places. The port aerial** **oars have to be fixed before we can go full speed again. We'll need some repair materials: Celestial** **bronze, tar, lime—"**

"Limes?" Percy frowned.

"Not limes as in the fruit, lime as in calcium carbonate. It's mainly used in substances like cement." Jake explained.

**Festus made another _click-creak_ noise that Leo didn't recognize. It sounded like _AY-zuhl_.**

**"Oh...Hazel," he deciphered. "That's the girl with the curly hair, right?"**

**Frank gulped. "Is she okay?"**

**"Yeah, she's fine," Leo said. "According to Festus, her horse is racing along below. She's following** **us."**

Nico and Hades relaxed.

**"We've got to land, then," Frank said.**

**Leo studied him. "She's your girlfriend?"**

**Frank chewed his lip. "Yes."**

**"You don't sound sure."**

The demigods blinked. Some of them shifted uncomfortably.

Leo cringed. _Did I really say that? I sound like a total creep._

Aphrodite cackled. _Let the games begin!_

**Leo raised his hands. "Okay, fine. The problem is we can only manage one landing. The way the** **hull and the oars are, we won't be able to lift off again until we repair, so we'll have to make sure we** **land somewhere with all the right supplies."**

Jake frowned. "You don't have the materials on the ship?"

Leo shook his head. "We running low on Celestial bronze."

Nyssa made a face. "So soon? But all you guys did was go to California." 

She made a mental note to speak to dedicate extra attention to organizing supplies for the ship. Obviously they hadn't prepared well enough for Greece. _How could we be so careless about that?_

**..."Festus, do a scan."**

**"He can scan for magic bronze?" Frank marveled. "Is there anything he can't do?"**

"Nope! He can practically do anything!" Leo bragged with a wide smile.

**Leo thought: You should've seen him when he had a body. But he didn't say that. It was too painful,** **remembering the way Festus used to be.**

Leo's smile wavered, but remained intact.

**...Behind him, the stairs creaked. Percy and Annabeth climbed up, their faces grim.**

_Please let Jason be okay!_ Thalia pleaded.

**Leo's heart stumbled. "Is Jason—?"**

Thalia held her breath.

**"He's resting," Annabeth said. "Piper's keeping an eye on him, but he should be fine."**

The daughter of Zeus sighed with relief. _Thank the gods. You can't keep doing this, Jay..._

**Percy gave him a hard look. "Annabeth says you did fire the ballista?"**

Percy frowned. "It wasn't his fault, didn't Annabeth already say something about the cold sensation?"

**"Man, I—I don't understand how it happened. I'm so sorry—"**

**"Sorry?" Percy growled.**

Percy's frown deepened.

**[Annabeth]... "We'll figure it out later. Right now, we have to** **regroup and make a plan. What's the situation with the ship?"**

**Leo's legs trembled. The way Percy had looked at him made him feel the same as when Jason** **summoned lightning. Leo's skin tingled, and every instinct in his body screamed, _Duck!_**

Percy cringed. _Great, now he thinks I'm scary too. Way to make a great first impression Future Percy._

"Sorry." the son of Poseidon told Leo.

"It's fine." he said dismissively. He folded another sheet of paper.

"It's really not. I should've known the full story first before I blew up like that." Percy said guiltily. _How is he supposed to trust me? The first time he meets me, I tackle him to the ground and yelled at him for something that wasn't his fault._

"Just like how you should've with Nico?" Will pointed out.

Said boy sent him a glare that screamed _'Shut up!'_ but Will didn't seem to notice or care.

Percy hesitated. "Yeah, you're right. Nico was forced to keep Camp Jupiter a secret and I should've understood that instead of yelling at him."

He awkwardly looked at Nico. "Sorry."

"It's alright." Nico said almost immediately. "I haven't been honest with you before, so it's not like your anger came out of nowhere."

"I still shouldn't have been a jerk." Percy pointed out.

 "Yeah, but I should've-" Nico stopped himself short once he realized they were going in a circle. He nodded his head instead.

**He told Annabeth about the damage and the supplies they needed...** **when Festus began to whir and squeak.**

**"Perfect." Leo sighed with relief.**

**"What's perfect?" Annabeth said. "I could use some perfect about now."**

**Leo managed a smile. "Everything we need in one place.**

"At least we have one good thing." Annabeth sighed.

**Frank, why don't you turn into a bird or** **something? Fly down and tell your girlfriend to meet us at the Great Salt Lake in Utah."**

**Once they got there, it wasn't a pretty landing. With the oars damaged and the foresail torn, Leo** **could barely manage a controlled descent. The others strapped themselves in below—except for Coach** **Hedge, who insisted on clinging to the forward rail, yelling, "YEAH! Bring it on, lake!"**

Clarisse smiled and rolled her eyes.

**Leo stood** **astern, alone at the helm, and aimed as best he could...** **Directly beneath them the Great Salt Lake glittered like aluminum foil, the** **shoreline etched with white salt marshes that reminded Leo of aerial photos of Mars. "Hang on, Coach!" he shouted. "This is going to hurt."**

**"I was born for hurt!"**

The daughter of Ares laughed.

**WHOOM! A swell of salt water washed over the bow, dousing Coach Hedge. The Argo II listed** **dangerously to starboard, then righted itself and rocked on the surface of the lake. Machinery** **hummed as the aerial blades that were still working changed to nautical form.**

**..."Yeah!" Coach Hedge pumped his fists in the air. He was drenched from his horns to hooves, but** **grinning like a crazy goat. "Do it again!"**

Grover sighed. _Who's the adult on this quest again?_

**"Uh...maybe later," Leo said. "Just stay above deck, okay? You can keep watch, in case—you** **know, the lake decides to attack us or something."**

**"On it," Hedge promised.**

**Leo rang the All clear bell and headed for the stairs. Before he got there, a loud clump-clump-clump** **shook the hull. A tan stallion appeared on deck with Hazel Levesque on his back.**

**"How—?" Leo's question died in his throat. "We're in the middle of a lake! Can that thing fly?"**

"He doesn't need to fly. Arion is so fast, he can run across water, vertical surfaces, and even small mountains!" Poseidon bragged.

"He can go wherever his heart desires!" Demeter happily added.

**The horse whinnied angrily.**

Knowing what Arion had likely said, Poseidon winced.

Also having a similar feeling, Demeter glared at him.

"I told you, he should've been working on the farm! But _nooo_ 'He's a growing horse! Let him do what he likes!' Now look at him! Our son swears like a sailor!"

_SON?!_ Katie thought, eyes widening. _A SON?!_ _I'm related to a horse?! How is that even possible? How can my mom give birth to a..._ Her thought process trailed off. Katie silently groaned and rubbed her face. _Never mind, I don't want to know._

**Hazel was looking at him strangely, the way she had during the feast in the forum—like she was** **searching for something in his face. He was tempted to ask if they had met before, but he was sure they hadn't. He would remember a pretty girl paying such close attention to him.**

_Oooo! He likes her too! Love triangle, here we come!_ Aphrodite squealed.

Nico's shoulders slumped. After a paragraph like that, there was no doubt in his mind. Leo was Sammy. He might not remember her, but his subconscious still had some recollections of his past love for Hazel.

He wondered if Bianca would have some memories of him, if they were lucky enough to see each other again. He immediately pushed that thought to aside. _Don't get your hopes up, she's gone._

Instead, he focused on Leo, who obviously was trying to ignore the others' glances and side comments. He continued cutting snowflakes.

"You still like her." Nico said gently. It was meant to be a question, but it came out as an observation.

Leo looked up at him and blinked in confusion. Out of all the people in the room, he expected Nico to be angry for his old crush on Hazel. She already had a boyfriend and was trying to move on from her past. She hadn't deserved to have his stupid feelings nearly ruin what she worked so hard to gain. Yet, Nico was acting strangely sympathetic and comforting. He looked like he wanted to give him a hug. This wasn't something he expected from the same guy who punched him earlier. Twice.

"I used to have a crush on her," Leo admitted. "But we're really good friends now. We care about each other, just not in a romantic sense."

Nico jerkily nodded his head.

"That's good." he said awkwardly. "I'm glad things worked out despite you two not dating again."

" _Again?"_ Leo forced himself to laugh, even though he had no idea what Nico was talking about. "We've never been together, we couldn't have even met until this book. You said so yourself, remember?"

_Not after she came to life, but before..._ Nico shifted uncomfortably. He would've thought Leo already knew he was Sammy, but apparently not. It was too late to turn back now, he guessed he should tell him the truth.

"Leo," he hesitated. He decided to ease him into it. "Do you know about rebirth?" 

Thrown through a loop, Leo frowned.

" _Yeeeaaaah..._ " he said slowly, lowering his scissors. "In the Underworld, you can become mortal again, by dipping in the River Lethe and erasing your memories. Nico, what does this have to do with Hazel and me-"

He stopped in mid-sentence, eyes widening. 

" _Wait_ ," he said cautiously. "You honestly don't think he and I are..." Seeing his solemn look, Leo exclaimed: "Oh my gods! You do!"

"Calm down." the son of Hades told him.

"I am calm!" Leo said, sounding anything but. When he noticed the others giving them confused looks, he quickly lowered his voice.

"Look, there's been a misunderstanding. Sammy and I are not the same person. He's my great-grandfather. We kinda look alike too. I'm the taller one, but still, we look close enough that it freaked out Hazel."

"But-" Nico fumbled, ears turning red with embarrassment. "But if that's true, why did you just say you thought you've seen her before?"

"I don't know!" Leo threw his hands up in exasperation. "I've probably seen them together in some old family pictures! My mom had a ton of them! The point is that Sammy and I are completely different people. My dad's side of the family is already a mess, I don't want to be my own great-grandfather or my mom to be my granddaughter." Leo shuddered.

As Leo spoke, Nico's whole face turned red. _Nice one Di Angelo. Just 'cause Bianca's being reborn doesn't mean that everyone else is doing it. Now you look stupid._ "I'm sorry."

Leo must've seen his shoulders drop, because his expression softened. "It's not a big deal. It's kinda funny. Besides, I'm pretty sure everyone thought I was Sammy Valdez, but nobody's ever confronted me about it." he grinned. "It feels awkward now, but pretty soon we're going to be looking back on this and laugh about it."

"I hope so, I can't believe I didn't guess you were related." Nico grumbled.

"You're not the first, or the last one." Leo responded.

**That didn't happen** **a lot.**

**She's Frank's girlfriend, he reminded himself.**

_Yeah, she is. So maybe you should shut up before people start getting the wrong idea. _Leo scowled. _I don't need people believing I'm some kind of girlfriend-stealing creep._

**Frank was still below, but Leo almost wished the big guy would come up the stairs. The way** **Hazel was studying Leo made him feel uneasy and self-conscious.**

"Isn't that cute? He's nervous!" Aphrodite giggled.

"I just torched her home, of course I'd be nervous." Leo said. "Besides that, I don't have a crush on Hazel anymore. We're just friends."

He expected the goddess to pout in disappointment, instead, she lit up like a Christmas tree.

"So there's a conclusion to this love story? Did she reject you?"

Leo rolled his eyes. "Why-"

"No wait!" Aphrodite cut him off. "Don't spoil it for me! I want it to be a surprise!"

_The ending is really nothing to look forward too..._ he sighed.

**Coach Hedge crept forward with his baseball bat, eyeing the magic horse suspiciously. "Valdez,** **does this count as an invasion?"**

"No!" Demeter said, worried about what Arion would do to the satyr.

**"No!" Leo said. "Um, Hazel, you'd better come with me. I built a stable below decks, if Arion** **wants to—"**

The goddess of harvest made a face.

"Stables would be appropriate for a _normal_ horse, but Arion is more of a free spirit. He can not be contained in something as small as the stables in your ship."

"There's no telling what he'd do if you tried to put him in there." Poseidon cringed.

**The Argo II was designed like an ancient trireme, only twice as big. The first deck had one central** **corridor with crew cabins on either side...** **Leo's oars** **were automated and retractable, so they took up very little room inside the hull. The ship's power** **came from the engine room on the second and lowest deck, which also housed sickbay, storage, and** **the stables.**

"When you're making the ship, tell past me not to include the stables." Leo told his siblings. "It's just going to be a pointless room." _Besides when Percy and Annabeth used it._

Leo sighed and rolled his eyes. All that hard work and all the stables amounted to was a love nest for rebellious couples. _What a waste!_

**Leo led the way down the hall. He'd built the ship with eight cabins—seven for the demigods of** **the prophecy, and a room for Coach Hedge (Seriously—Chiron considered him a responsible adult** **chaperone?).**

"He clearly had other things on his mind when he did that." Dionysus murmured, flipping a page in his magazine.

**...On the way, they passed Jason's room. The door was open. Piper sat at the side of his berth,** **holding Jason's hand while he snored with an ice pack on his head.**

**Piper glanced at Leo. She held a finger to her lips for quiet, but she didn't look angry.**

"Because it wasn't your fault." Katie told him.

**That was** **something. Leo tried to force down his guilt, and they kept walking. When they reached the mess** **hall, they found the others—Percy, Annabeth, and Frank—sitting dejectedly around the dining table...**

**There were no windows, but the walls were enchanted to show real-time footage from Camp Half Blood—the** **beach, the forest, the strawberry fields—although now Leo was wondering if this made** **people homesick rather than happy.**

"I should add an off switch to that." Leo said.

**Percy was staring longingly at a sunset view of Half-Blood Hill, where the Golden Fleece glittered** **in the branches of the tall pine tree.**

Percy sighed.

**Frank plucked on his bowstring. "Figure out the prophecy? I mean...that was a prophecy Ella s** **poke, right? From the Sibylline Books?"**

**...Frank explained how their harpy friend was freakishly good at memorizing books. At some point** **in the past, she'd inhaled a collection of ancient prophecies that had supposedly been destroyed around** **the fall of Rome.**

**"That's why you didn't tell the Romans," Leo guessed. "You didn't want them to get hold of her."**

**Percy kept staring at the image of Half-Blood Hill. "Ella's sensitive. She was a captive when we** **found her. I just didn't want..." He made a fist. "It doesn't matter now. I sent Tyson an Iris-message,** **told him to take Ella to Camp Half-Blood. They'll be safe there."**

**Leo doubted that any of them would be safe, now that he had stirred up a camp of angry Romans** **on top of the problems they already had with Gaea and the giants;**

The readers winced. 

"Sorry!" Leo said quickly.

"Don't forget, we can change this." Hestia was quick to remind.

**but he kept quiet.**

"Good idea." Hermes said, still grimacing.

**Annabeth laced her fingers. "Let me think about the prophecy—but right now we have more** **immediate problems. We have to get this ship fixed. Leo, what do we need?"**

**"The easiest thing is tar." Leo was glad to change the subject. "We can get that in the city, at a** **roofing-supply store or someplace like that. Also, Celestial bronze and lime. According to Festus, we** **can find both of those on an island in the lake, just west of here."**

**"We'll have to hurry," Hazel warned. "If I know Octavian, he's searching for us with his auguries.** **The Romans will send a strike force after us. It's a matter of honor."**

"They have a strike force too?" Travis frowned. "What are you guys going to do if they catch up to you?" 

"Not much we can do, but run." Leo said with a shrug.

**Leo felt everyone's eyes on him. "Guys...I don't know what happened. Honestly, I—"**

**Annabeth raised her hand. "We've been talking. We agree it couldn't have been you, Leo. That** **cold feeling you mentioned...I felt it too. It must have been some sort of magic, either Octavian or** **Gaea or one of her minions. But until we understand what happened—"**

"This has to be Gaea. It has her name written all over it." Apollo said.

**Frank grunted. "How can we be sure it won't happen again?"**

The readers tensed. 

Annabeth shook her head helplessly. "We can't be." _I really hope this doesn't affect our trust in each other, that attack on New Rome already has us on edge._

**..."I'm fine now," he insisted, though he wished he could be sure. "Maybe we should use the buddy** **system. Nobody goes anywhere alone. We can leave Piper and Coach Hedge on board with Jason.** **Send one team into town to get tar. Another team can go after the bronze and the lime."**

"Should we really be splitting up so soon?" Percy frowned.

"We didn't have much of a choice," Leo reminded. "We needed to get the things to fix the ship before the Romans caught up to us."

"He has a point." Annabeth said. _We don't need any more problems._

**... [Annabeth] "You're right. The same reason** **we needed the Argo II...outside camp, seven demigods in one place will attract way too much** **monstrous attention. The ship is designed to conceal and protect us. We should be safe enough on** **board; but if we go on expeditions, we shouldn't travel in groups larger than three. No sense alerting** **more of Gaea's minions than we have to."**

**Percy still didn't look happy about it, but he took Annabeth's hand. "As long as you're my buddy,** **I'm good."**

" _Aaaawww!_ " Aphrodite giggled.

Annabeth smiled and bumped her shoulder against Percy's.

**Hazel smiled. "Oh, that's easy. Frank, you were amazing, turning into a dragon! Could you do it** **again to fly Annabeth and Percy into town for the tar?"**

**Frank opened his mouth like he wanted to protest. "I...I suppose. But what about you?"**

**"I'll ride Arion with Sa—with Leo, here."**

Nico and Leo exchanged looks but otherwise said nothing

**She fidgeted with her sword hilt, which made Leo** **uneasy. She had even more nervous energy than he did.**

"That's debatable." Nico commented.

**"We'll get the bronze and the lime. We can all** **meet back here by dark."**

**Frank scowled. Obviously, he didn't like the idea of Leo going off with Hazel.**

**For some reason,** **Frank's disapproval made Leo want to go. He had to prove he was trustworthy. He wasn't going to fire** **any random ballistae again.**

"That's not why he's upset, sweetheart. He just can't handle the competition!" Aphrodite cackled.

"You're enjoying this way too much." Leo said.

"Maybe," Aphrodite shrugged. "But I wouldn't be a goddess of love, if I didn't like my job."

**"Leo," said Annabeth, "if we get the supplies, how long to fix the ship?"**

**"With luck, just a few hours."**

**"Fine," she decided. "We'll meet you back here as soon as possible, but stay safe. We could use** **some good luck. That doesn't mean we'll get it."**

"Finished." Mitchell said.

"I'll read next." Lacy said, taking the book.

" **Leo VI** ,"

_One down, three more to go._ Leo thought with a sigh. _I can't believe there'd be a time when I would miss my two chapter point of views._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had this chapter all written out, then I accidentally deleted it in the middle of copying and pasting. I swear, my heart stopped the moment the text disappeared. Lol! Hope you like it!


	6. Leo VI

" **Leo VI** ," Lacy read.

**Riding Arion was the best thing that had happened to Leo all day**

"Consider yourself lucky, Arion doesn't let just anyone ride him." Demeter told him. She then muttered to herself. "I wonder what he saw in Hazel..." The goddess supposed it could be because she was a daughter of Pluto, but then again, Arion didn't care for fancy titles.

**—which wasn't saying much,** **since his day had sucked.**

"Join the club..." Annabeth said. _Pretty sure Future Annabeth's day is not going so well either._

The daughter of Athena frowned. _Hope nothing bad happens when we're getting that tar._

**The horse's hooves turned the surface of the lake to salty mist...** **For the first time,** **he understood why car engines were measured in horsepower. Arion was a four-legged Maserati.**

Poseidon and Demeter were beaming with pride.

"A Maserati doesn't compare to how fast Arion can really be." Demeter boasted.

**...Leo sat behind Hazel, one arm around her waist.**

Aphrodite could barely contain herself as she burst out giggling. "I can see why Frank was nervous!"

"I had to do that if I didn't want to fall off the horse." Leo pointed out. "He was going so fast, I wasn't sure if I was going to fall off or fly forward."

"He is called 'The Fastest Being on Land' for a reason." Poseidon said with a smile.

**The close contact made him a little** **uncomfortable, but it was the only way he could stay on board (or whatever you called it with a horse).**

"It's called 'mounting'." Poseidon corrected.

**Before they left, Percy had pulled him aside to tell him Hazel's story. Percy made it sound like he** **was just doing Leo a favor, but there'd been an undertone like _If you mess with my friend, I will_** _**personally feed you to a great white shark.** _

Percy's jaw dropped as some of the other demigods winced.

"I would never do that to you!" he vehemently swore.

"I know that now," Leo assured him. "But you really acted like you were going to stick my head in a shark's mouth, when you went into your 'Black Manta' mode."

_He named it after a super villain?_ Percy cringed. "Look, I know we started off on the wrong foot, but I promise things will be better this time. You're a pretty cool guy, and I know we'll make a great team."

"Of course we will! We're fire and water, the best combination for taking down baddies." Leo snapped his fingers. "I know! We should come up with a team name! How about Sharkboy and Lava... _boy..._ "

Leo and Percy both made a face.

"How about we just say we're a team, but don't give it a name." the son of Poseidon finally said.

**According to Percy, Hazel was a daughter of Pluto. She'd died in the 1940s and been brought** **back to life only a few months.**

**Leo found that hard to believe. Hazel seemed warm and very alive, not like the ghosts or the other** **reborn mortals Leo had tangled with.** **She seemed good with people, too, unlike Leo, who was much more comfortable with machines.** **Living stuff, like horses and girls? He had no idea what made them work.**

"To be fair, neither do a lot of guys." Hermes said with a shrug.

"Speak for yourself, I know plenty about horses." Poseidon smiled. He winked at Percy.

His son gave a strained smile in return.

_That was the worst joke I've ever heard in my life..._ he decided.

**Hazel was also Frank's girlfriend, so Leo knew he should keep his distance.**

"How many times is this going to be mentioned? We get it, she's Frank's girlfriend! I'm not going to try to go beyond the friendzone! I'm perfectly happy with being 'just friends'." Leo said firmly, taking double-sided tape out of his tool belt.

"Right now it seems you don't." Aphrodite pointed out with a smile.

"Right now I'm being an idiot." Leo said flatly. "Seriously, who likes someone who is already taken?"

Hephaestus wordlessly glared at Ares.

The goddess of love giggled.

"Oh, Leo! You can't help who you like! The heart wants what it wants." she recited to him.

"Yeah? Well, I'm glad my heart wants someone else." he heard himself say. He paused.

_Why did I say that?!_ he mentally screamed. _I don't like Calypso!_

"Forget I said anything!" Leo said quickly. He wasn't sure who he was telling that to, himself or everyone else in the room.

"Too late!" the goddess squealed. "It's the seamstress, isn't it?"

"That's none of your business!"

"I'm the goddess of love, honey! It _is_ my business!"

"I don't have to tell you anything!"

"Just let the boy have his secret." Hephaestus sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Fine!" Aphrodite huffed. She gave Leo a smirk. "I'll find out later anyway."

Leo's eyes widened as Lacy kept reading.

**Still, her hair smelled** **good,** **and riding with her made his heart race almost against his will. It must've been the speed of the** **horse.**

Aphrodite was cracking up again, but Leo didn't focus on her or the story. Instead he thought back to what the goddess had said.

_She'll find out later? Does she mean in the book?_ Leo thought worriedly. He glanced at _The Mark of Athena_ , before he softly shook his head. _No, that's too far back, it wouldn't mention anything about Calypso._ _But what about...?_

Tensing, he slowly turned to the last book sitting innocently on Zeus' armrest.

Leo swallowed. _Nemesis... If you're as fair as you think you are, you wouldn't do that to me._

**Arion thundered onto the beach. He stomped his hooves and whinnied triumphantly, like Coach** **Hedge yelling a battle cry.**

"Please don't compare the two, my Arion is a much more gentler soul." Demeter said.

Poseidon snorted at that. He loved his son as much as Demeter did, but gentle was not something he would describe the horse.

**Hazel and Leo dismounted. Arion pawed the sand.**

**"He needs to eat," Hazel explained. "He likes gold, but—"**

"Gold?" Travis perked up.

"Pretty expensive horse." Connor whistled. "You think he knows where to find some?"

"He has to, right?" his brother said. "If he wants to eat, he has go get it..." 

An idea suddenly came to the Stoll. "Unless..."

**..."Not really," Hazel said. "Gold is easy for me."**

Travis snapped his fingers. "Bingo!"

"First rubies, now gold!" Connor sighed. "Is there anything she can't do? Maybe she could use those powers for good, like giving a friendly son of Hermes a nugget or two?"

"Or six, so we can split it three-three." Travis said.

"In that case, make it ten, so you can have five and I can have five."

Katie rolled her eyes. "She won't just give you gold just because you asked for it."

"For once, Katie's right." Travis agreed. Said girl glared daggers at him. "We would have to give her some sort of equivalent exchange."

"But what can we give to somebody who already has everything?" 

"We'll have to give her a human sacrifice." Travis said solemnly. He turned to Leo. "Sorry, man, but you'll have to be Hazel's butler for the week."

"What?" he complained. "Why does it have to be me?"

"Because you guys are friends. Everyone knows it's more fun to have a friend be your personal butler, than a stranger." 

"Hazel has other friends, why not chose Percy or Annabeth?" Leo pointed out.

"We would've tried with Percy..." Connor admitted.

"...But Annabeth would never let us do that." Travis finished.

"And you think I will?!"

"You might not want to, but you'll find yourself doing it one way or another." The two smirked. "We have our ways."

" _What?"_

Before Leo could decide just how to feel about that, Nico stepped in.

"You wouldn't want to take any gold that Hazel summons." he said. "They tend to curse the people who take it."

The Stolls sat in stunned silence for a while.

"Seriously!" Travis complained.

"I knew it was too good to be true." Connor muttered. 

As the Stolls continued complaining and groaning over their 'rotten luck', Leo frowned as he considered Nico's words. He heard Hazel mention cursed jewels once or twice before, but something about it always bothered him. Didn't Sammy take a diamond from her? Why didn't he get cursed? _Maybe it skipped two generations and cursed me..._

That would explain his life.

**Leo raised his eyebrows. "How is gold easy? Please tell me you're not related to King Midas. I** **don't like that guy."**

**Hazel pursed her lips, as if she regretted raising the subject. "Never mind."**

Aphrodite shook her head and tsked. "You have to do better than that, Leo."

**That made Leo even more curious, but he decided it might be better not to press her. He knelt** **and cupped a handful of white sand. "Well...one problem solved, anyway. This is lime."**

"The whole beach? You can tell just by looking at it?" Percy asked.

Leo shrugged. "It's not that hard when you know what you're looking for."

**"Yeah. See? The granules are perfectly round. It's not really sand. It's calcium carbonate." Leo** **pulled a Ziploc bag from his tool belt and dug his hand into the lime.**

**Suddenly he froze. He remembered all the times the earth goddess Gaea had appeared to him in** **the ground—her sleeping face made of dust or sand or dirt. She loved to taunt him. He imagined her** **closed eyes and her dreaming smile swirling in the white calcium.**

**_Walk away, little hero,_ Gaea said. _Without you, the ship cannot be fixed._** Lacy gulped.

The readers tensed

"She's not really there... is she?" the daughter of Aphrodite said hesitantly.

"Nope, that was just my head playing tricks on me." Leo yawned. He taped two snowflakes on the wall.

**"Leo?" Hazel asked. "You okay?"**

**He took a shaky breath. Gaea wasn't here. He was just freaking himself out.**

**"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, fine."**

**He started to fill the bag.**

**Hazel knelt next to him and helped. "We should've brought a pail and shovels."**

**The idea cheered Leo up. He even smiled. "We could've made a sand castle."**

"Next time." Leo swore.

**"A lime castle."**

**Their eyes locked for a second too long.**

" _Aaaww!"_ Aphrodite cooed as Leo rolled his eyes.

**Hazel looked away. "You are so much like—"**

**"Sammy?" Leo guessed.**

"The mystery boy." Aphrodite sighed. "The one who has been haunting Hazel's dreams..."

Nico grimaced. He knew she was only saying that to romanticize the current situation, but her words hit too close to home with the issues his sister faced when coming back to life.

As if having similar thoughts, Pluto scowled.

**She fell backward. "You know?"** **  
**

**"I have no idea who Sammy is. But Frank asked me if I was sure that wasn't my name."**

**"And...it isn't?"**

**"No! Jeez."**

"How many times are they going to ask that?" Connor said.

**"You don't have** **a twin brother or..." Hazel stopped.**

"Pretty sure we'd be the same age for that to be true..." Leo frowned. "And I don't look that old."

**"Is your family from New Orleans?"**

**"Nah. Houston. Why? Is Sammy a guy you used to know?"**

**"I...It's nothing. You just look like him."**

"Do they think you're Sammy or something?" Connor asked.

"Probably," Leo admitted, rubbing his eyes. They've been feeling itchy for awhile now.

"Well, it's not surprising considering how alike you two apparently are, even your personalities sound similar." Annabeth said. She was looking Leo over as if she was trying to find what Hazel had saw. 

"I wouldn't go so far too say that..." Leo said, making a face. "We have _some_ differences... Besides, we're not the same person, he's my great-grandfather."

He was sure the others were eavesdropping earlier (with how nosey they can be, he'd be surprised if they _weren't_ ), but he had to make sure everyone knew. He didn't need a repeat of the last misunderstanding.

Apparently not everyone was listening in, Hephaestus blinked in surprise.

"They were talking about _Abuelito_ Sammy?" he frowned. He supposed he shouldn't be too astonished, judging from his stories, _Abuelito_ had a pretty unusual life.*

" _Abuelito_ Sammy? You've met him? _And_ gave him a nickname?" Leo asked in shock. He didn't know his father even used nicknames. He would've guessed that the god would've called Sammy 'old man', or 'Esperanza's grandfather', or even something more matter of fact like 'Dad of Esperanza's dad'. _Abuelito_ seemed more easygoing than what Hephaestus was ever capable of.

Embarrassed by his slip up, the god suddenly found the ceiling to look interesting. "We hadn't seen each other often, but when we did, he was insistent on being called that. He wouldn't speak to me otherwise."

Yeah, Leo decided, that sounded like something his  _bisabuelo_ would do.

_Should I still call him that? Or should I call him Abuelito too?_ Leo wondered. He fiddled with his tape dispenser. _I mean, if he wanted Hephaestus to call him that, I guess he'd want me to say it too, right? It suits him..._

**...They finished filling the bag in silence. Leo stuffed it in his tool belt and the bag vanished—no** **weight, no mass, no volume—though Leo knew it would be there as soon as he reached for it.**

**...He stood and scanned the island—bleach-white dunes, blankets of grass, and boulders encrusted** **with salt like frosting. "Festus said there was Celestial bronze close by, but I'm not sure where—"**

**"That way." Hazel pointed up the beach. "About five hundred yards."**

The Stolls perked up at that.

"She can do that with gold too, right?" Connor said eagerly. "The curse wouldn't work if we had help finding stuff, right? It's not like Hazel would have to unearth them herself. She would only have to tell us where it is!"

"I don't think you should take that chance." Nico warned.

**Just over the dunes, they saw the woman.**

"Oh _great_." Leo muttered sarcastically. "We have to read about this now."

**She sat on a boulder in the middle of a grassy field. A black-and-chrome motorcycle was parked** **nearby, but each of the wheels had a big pie slice removed from the spokes and rim, so that they** **resembled Pac-Men. No way was the bike drivable in that condition.**

"Nemesis?" Annabeth guessed, making a face. Apparently she was just as happy to hear about the goddess as Leo was.

"Yup." Leo said, popping the 'p'. He pocketed his tape.

**The woman had curly black hair and a bony frame. She wore black leather biker's pants, tall** **leather boots, and a bloodred leather jacket—sort of a Michael Jackson joins the Hell's Angels look.**

**Around her feet, the ground was littered with what looked like broken shells. She was hunched over,** **pulling new ones out of a sack and cracking them open...**

The demigods frowned in confusion.

Leo and the gods rolled their eyes.

"I keep telling her those stupid fortunes are fake." Hermes sighed.

**...As they got closer, Leo noticed disturbing details. Attached to the woman's belt was a curled** **whip. Her red-leather jacket had a subtle design to it—twisted branches of an apple tree populated** **with skeletal birds. The oysters she was shucking were actually fortune cookies.**

"What?" Travis said.

"Why would she be opening so much fortune cookies? Why does she even have that many?" Will asked.

"Believe me, you can come up with a million theories and all of them would make more sense than the actual reason." Hermes said.

**Most she tossed aside. A few made her mutter** **unhappily. She would swipe her finger over the slip of paper like she was smudging it, then magically** **reseal the cookie and toss it into a nearby basket.**

"Did she get a bad fortune?" Percy asked to no one in particular.

A couple gods smiled as if his question amused them.

**"What are you doing?" Leo asked before he could stop himself.**

**The woman looked up. Leo's lungs filled so fast, he thought they might burst. "Aunt Rosa?" he asked.**

Hephaestus grimaced but wasn't surprised.

Annabeth and few gods gave him sympathetic looks.

The other demigods were even more confused.

"What? Why does she look like Leo's aunt?" Percy asked.

"Nemesis has the ability to change her form into people the viewer wants to take revenge on." Annabeth explained. "Hazel and Leo should be seeing two different people right now."

"Nobody's ever seen Nemesis' true form, I don't even think _she_ knows what she actually looks like." Apollo said as an afterthought. 

**..."Is that what you see?" the woman asked. "Interesting. And you, Hazel, dear?"**

**"How did you—?" Hazel stepped back in alarm. "You—you look like Mrs. Leer. My third grade** **teacher. I hated you."**

**The woman cackled. "Excellent. You resented her, eh? She judged you unfairly?"**

**"You—she taped my hands to the desk for misbehaving," Hazel said** **.** **"She called my mother a** **witch. She blamed me for everything I didn't do and—**

Hades struggled to maintain his Greek form.

Nico glared at the book.

"What kind of teacher does that?" Hestia said, aghast.

**No. She has to be dead. Who are you?"**

**"Oh, Leo knows," the woman said.** **"How do you feel about Aunt Rosa, _mijo_?"**

Hephaestus scowled. _Just because you're impersonating Rosa, doesn't mean you get to call him that._

**Mijo. That's what Leo's mom had always called him. After his mom died, Rosa had rejected Leo.** **She'd called him a devil child. She'd blamed him for the fire that had killed her sister. Rosa had turned** **his family against him and left him—a scrawny orphaned eight-year-old—at the mercy of social** **services.**

Hephaestus impatiently beat the flames out of his beard.

" _Really?_ We need a recap of this?" Leo grimaced. He folded one of his snowflakes in half. "I think everyone remembers what happened in Leo XI."

"I'll read this as fast as I can." Lacy promised.

**Leo had bounced around from foster home to foster home until he'd finally found a home at** **Camp Half-Blood.**

"At least this paragraph isn't all that bad." Leo said, giving the others a half-hearted smile.

**Leo didn't hate many people, but after all these years, Aunt Rosa's face made him** **boil with resentment.**

Hephaestus couldn't blame him.

**How did he feel? He wanted to get even. He wanted revenge.**

**..."Nemesis," he said. "You're the goddess of revenge."**

**"You see?" The goddess smiled at Hazel. "He recognizes me."**

**Nemesis cracked another cookie and wrinkled her nose. "You will have great fortune when you least** **expect it," she read. "That's exactly the sort of nonsense I hate. Someone opens a cookie, and suddenly** **they have a prophecy that they'll be rich! I blame that tramp Tyche. Always dispensing good luck to** **people who don't deserve it!"**

"Er... does she realize that those 'prophecies' aren't real? Some of them aren't even fortunes, they're just a bunch of metaphors." Percy frowned.

"I tried to tell her, but she never listens." Hermes sighed. "At this point she's just obsessed. You have no idea how many times I have to deliver her Chinese takeout, _a day_. She doesn't even eat the food, she just chucks it out and collects the stupid cookies."

"It's usually the other way around for most people." Apollo mused. 

**Leo looked at the mound of broken cookies. "Uh...you know those aren't real prophecies, right?** **They're just stuffed in the cookies at some factory—"**

**"Don't try to excuse it!" Nemesis snapped.**

"How is that an excuse?" Will said, looking more confused by the minute.

"There's no reasoning with her." Hermes said.

**"It's just like Tyche to get people's hopes up.**

"Tyche doesn't even care about fortune cookies." Hermes said, rolling his eyes. "If she really wanted to annoy her, Nemesis should mess with lottery tickets or go for the casinos."

"Don't give her ideas." Leo said, glancing up at the ceiling.

**No, no. I** **must counter her." Nemesis flicked a finger over the slip of paper, and the letters changed to red. "You** **will die painfully when you most expect it. There! Much better."**

"What?!" Percy exclaimed.

The other demigods looked equally surprised, even Annabeth was staring at the book as if it sprouted legs.

" _Ooookkkaaayyy_ , she's crazy." Travis remarked. "So to counter that fake fortune, she gives someone a real prophecy about them getting killed? ...Am I the only one who sees a problem in that?" 

If it was a problem, Hermes didn't act like it. In fact, he looked unimpressed.

"Really? A painful death? That's a bit of an overkill. And predictable. Why not make something less dramatic and more practical? Like 'Your car will break down when you're late for work'? Or 'Your loan shark will come when you least expect it'?" By now, Hermes was starting to get into coming up with bad fortunes. "Or maybe something more personal? 'Your in-laws will show up when you least expect it'. 'You will lose your money at your favorite amusement park'. Or maybe-"

"Thank you Hermes, we get the point." Hera cut in, she gestured Lacy to continue reading.

**"That's horrible!" Hazel said. "You'd let someone read that in their fortune cookie, and it would** **come true?"**

**Nemesis sneered. It really was creepy, seeing that expression on Aunt Rosa's face.**

Leo shuddered.

**"My dear Hazel,** **haven't you ever wished horrible things on Mrs. Leer for the way she treated you?"**

**"That doesn't mean I'd want them to come true!"**

**"Bah." The goddess resealed the cookie and tossed it in her basket. "Tyche would be Fortuna for** **you, I suppose, being Roman. Like the others, she's in a horrible way right now.**

Having a feeling on what was happening to them, some of the gods grimaced while others winced.

**Me? I'm not affected.** **I am called Nemesis in both Greek and Roman. I do not change, because revenge is universal."**

"Lucky you..." Hermes grumbled.

**"What are you talking about?" Leo asked. "What are you doing here?"**

**[Nemesis]...** **"To answer your question, Leo Valdez, the gods are in terrible shape. It always happens when a** **civil war is brewing between you Romans and Greeks. The Olympians are torn between their two** **natures, called on by both sides. They become quite schizophrenic, I'm afraid. Splitting headaches.** **Disorientation."**

" _Great..."_ Hermes said sarcastically.

Hera and Zeus glared at each other.

"I knew this was a bad idea." he hissed.

"It's not over yet." the goddess reminded him. "And any issues we see in the book can easily be changed."

"You say that now, but what happens when we face more difficult situations? These books will not magically fix everything."

"I didn't think they would, but the attack on New Rome can be avoided now that we know what will happen. And the Greeks are more open to working with the Romans." 

Zeus just hummed.

_Typical, he doesn't have an argument, but he doesn't want to admit I'm right._ Hera inwardly groaned as she rolled her eyes.

**"But we're not at war," Leo insisted.**

The demigods exchanged uneasy looks.

"We weren't before, but since you attacked New Rome, we are now!" Ares eagerly said with a smile.

Athena smirked.

Hephaestus gave Ares a heated glare. "That wasn't him, that was the eidolon."

The god of war shrugged. "Whatever, it's still his body."

**"Um, Leo..." Hazel winced. "Except for the fact that you recently blew up large sections of New** **Rome."**

**Leo stared at her, wondering whose side she was on. "Not on purpose!"**

**"I know..." Hazel said, "but the Romans don't realize that. And they'll be pursuing us in** **retaliation."**

"With their strike force." Travis added with a grimace.

**Nemesis cackled. "Leo, listen to the girl. War is coming. Gaea has seen to it, with your help. And** **can you guess whom the gods blame for their predicament?"**

**Leo's mouth tasted like calcium carbonate. "Me."**

"No, we know who's really responsible for this." Zeus said, glaring at Hera.

"Really? If you're so sure, then say it! Nobody's stopping you!" the goddess sneered. 

Lacy continued reading before a fight could break out.

**The goddess snorted. "Well, don't you have a high opinion of yourself.** **You're just a pawn on the chessboard, Leo Valdez. I was referring to the player who set this ridiculous quest in motion, bringing the Greeks and Romans together. The gods blame Hera—or Juno, if you prefer! The queen of the heavens has fled Olympus to escape the wrath of her family.**

Hera's eyes widened in shock before she glared at her family.

"How dare you!" she shouted. "After all I've done for you, you ran me out of my own home?!"

"Please, nobody would force you to leave." Zeus rolled his eyes. "You probably left in embarrassment that your _oh-so wonderful_ plan failed miserably."

"It didn't fail! It didn't even start yet!" Hera argued.

"Good thing too, because from what I'm hearing, it's going to be a complete disaster." Zeus said.

The goddess of marriage looked like she wanted to pull her husband into a full nelson.

**Don't expect any more help from your** **patron!"**

**Leo's head throbbed. He had mixed feelings about Hera. She'd meddled in his life since he was a** **baby...**

" _Oh!_ Not this again!" Hera yelled, she threw her arms up in exasperation.

"That was a traumatic experience for him!" Hephaestus snapped.

"I was _helping_ him! I'm not arguing about this anymore!"

**"So why are you here?" he asked.**

**"Why, to offer _my_ help!" Nemesis smiled wickedly.**

**Leo glanced at Hazel. She looked like she'd just been offered a free snake.**

_...Sooo, she was thrilled?_

_George_ _!_ Martha hissed.

**"Your help," Leo said.**

**"Of course!" said the goddess. "I enjoy tearing down the proud and powerful, and there are none who deserve tearing down like Gaea and her giants.** **Still, I must warn you that I will not suffer undeserved success. Good luck is a sham. The wheel of fortune is a Ponzi scheme. True success** **requires sacrifice."**

"How much more sacrifice do you need?" Percy grimaced.

**"Sacrifice?" Hazel's voice was tight. "I lost my mother. I died and came back.**

Expecting Hazel to suddenly black out, Nico flinched.

**Now my brother is** **missing. Isn't that enough sacrifice for you?"**

**Leo could totally relate. He wanted to scream that he'd lost his mom too. His whole life had been** **one misery after another. He'd lost his dragon, Festus. He'd nearly killed himself trying to finish the** **Argo II. Now he'd fired on the Roman camp, most likely started a war, and maybe lost the trust of his** **friends.**

"You didn't lose our trust." Annabeth was quick to assure him.

**"Right now," he said, trying to control his anger, "all I want is some Celestial bronze."**

**"Oh, that's easy," Nemesis said. "It's just over the rise. You'll find it with the sweethearts."**

Thrown through a loop, the readers frowned in confusion.

"The sweethearts?" Annabeth repeated. _What does that mean?_ she racked her brain for answers.

**Nemesis popped a cookie in her mouth and swallowed it, fortune and all.** Lacy resisted the urge to gag as she continued reading.

**"You'll see. Perhaps they** **will teach you a lesson, Hazel Levesque. Most heroes cannot escape their nature, even when given a** **second chance at life."**

_Okay, now we know they've came back to life. But are they monsters or mortal?_ Annabeth played with the college ring on her necklace. _Probably mortal, since Nemesis said this was their second chance. But that doesn't narrow it down much._ she frowned.

**She smiled. "And speaking of your brother Nico, you don't have much time.**

_What does that mean?_ Nico gulped, his hands turning clammy.

**Let's see...it's June twenty-fifth? Yes, after today, six more days. Then he dies, along with the entire** **city of Rome."**

"What?!" Hades exclaimed.

Nico visibly paled.

"Oh my gods..." Will said slowly.

Percy grimaced. Yeah he had been mad at the son of Hades before, but he didn't want him to _die!_

"We're going to rescue you, Nico." he firmly told him.

The boy looked relieved to hear this, but at the same time, he frowned.

"What about Rome?" he asked, twisting his skull ring. "They are using me as bait to waste your time. Wouldn't it be better if you-"

"You are _not_ sacrificing yourself!" Hades snapped. 

"What are you saying?!" Will yelled.

Nico bit his lip.

"We're going to rescue you." Percy repeated. "If Leo and the others can save Tristan _and_ Hera on the same day, then we can save you and Rome at the same time."

"That's different." Nico argued. "Those two places were in the same state, I'm probably not even in the same _country._ I could be in Russia."

"Then we'll go to Russia and get you." Percy said. "You can argue about this all you want, but we're going to save you first, then we're saving Rome."

Annabeth and Leo nodded in agreement. 

**"And as for _you_ , child of fire." She turned to Leo. **

Knowing what was coming, Leo grimaced.

**"Your worst hardships are yet to come. You will** **always be the outsider, the seventh wheel. You will not find a place among your brethren.**

Hephaestus scowled. "I think we've heard enough. If you're not going to help then leave!"

Leo played with the buttons on his jacket. "I mean, she's not wrong..."

He didn't mean to say it so loud, but of course, with his big mouth everyone heard.

Hephaestus turned to him. His eyes wide in alarm. "What?"

Annabeth frowned. "Leo, she's just trying to say that to make resent us. She might be trying to help us, but that doesn't mean she's not going to try to cause trouble. Even with these books. Sure they're helpful, but they didn't need to be in our point-of-views."

"Yeah," Leo sighed. "I know."

**Soon you** **will face a problem you cannot solve, though I could help you...for a price."**

**Leo smelled smoke. He realized fingers on his left hand were ablaze, and Hazel was staring at him** **in terror.**

Nico winced. "I'm sure she's not really scared of you, she's just surprised."

"It's fine." Leo said. He knew the real reason she was so nervous.

**He shoved his hand in his pocket to extinguish the flames. "I like to solve my own problems."**

**"Very well." Nemesis brushed cookie dust off her jacket.**

**"But, um, what sort of price are we talking about?"**

Annabeth grimaced. She wanted to warn Leo about making deals with Nemesis, but that would be kind of hypocritical, wouldn't it?

**The goddess shrugged. "One of my children recently traded an eye for the ability to make a real** **difference in the world."**

Travis, Connor, and Chris winced.

Percy stiffened. He tried to ignore the feeling of dread and his memories of the other boy, but his eyes couldn't help but glance at the sealed fissure where Ethan had fallen to his death.

_That only happened yesterday..._ he shuddered. The book had made the Titan War feel so far away, but seeing that fissure, Percy couldn't help but be reminded just how recent the it really was.

**Leo's stomach churned. "You...want an eye?"**

"Maybe I should've given it to her..." Leo muttered. "It's not like I only have one."

**"In your case, perhaps another sacrifice would do. But something just as painful. Here." She** **handed him an unbroken fortune cookie.**

Leo winced at the mention.

**"If you need an answer, break this. It will solve your** **problem."**

The readers frowned but didn't say anything.

**Leo's hand trembled as he held the fortune cookie. "What problem?"**

**"You'll know when the time comes."**

**"No, thanks," Leo said firmly. But his hand, as though it had a will of its own, slipped the cookie** **into his tool belt.**

**Nemesis picked another cookie from her bag and cracked it open. "You will have cause to reconsider** **your choices soon. Oh, I like that one. No changes needed here."**

**She resealed the cookie and tossed it into the basket. "Very few gods will be able to help you on** **the quest.**

"Thanks for the reminder." Percy grumbled.

**Most are already incapacitated, and their confusion will only grow worse.**

The gods' frowns deepened.

**One thing might** **bring unity to Olympus again—an old wrong finally avenged.**

Athena perked up at that. _Could she be talking about...?_

**Ah, that would be sweet indeed, the** **scales finally balanced! But it will not happen unless you accept my help."**

**"I suppose you won't tell us what you're talking about," Hazel muttered. "Or why my brother Nico** **has only six days to live. Or why Rome is going to be destroyed."**

"Nope," Thalia grumbled. "She'll help you, but she won't be that helpful."

**Nemesis chuckled. She rose and slung her sack of cookies over her shoulder. "Oh, it's all tied** **together, Hazel Levesque. As for my offer, Leo Valdez, give it some thought. You're a good child. A** **hard worker. We could do business.**

" _Geez,_ if this is what you do to people you like, I'd hate to see what you'd do to your enemies." Leo muttered.

**But I have detained you too long. You should visit the reflecting** **pool before the light fades. My poor cursed boy gets quite...agitated when the darkness comes."**

_Cursed boy... Reflecting pool..._ Annabeth pieced together. _That could only be one person. Narcissus._

**Leo didn't like the sound of that, but the goddess climbed on her motorcycle. Apparently, it was** **drivable, despite those Pac-Man–shaped wheels, because Nemesis revved her engine and disappeared** **in a mushroom cloud of black smoke.**

**Hazel bent down. All the broken cookies and fortunes had disappeared except for one crumpled** **slip of paper. She picked it up and read, "You will see yourself reflected, and you will have reason to** **despair."**

"Huh." Leo blinked at the book in surprise. "Guess this is what that fortune meant." _She must've planned this the moment we met._

**"Fantastic," Leo grumbled. "Let's go see what that means."**

"Finished," Lacy said.

"I'll read next!" Aphrodite cheerfully volunteered.

After being handed the book, she began to read.

" **Leo VII** ,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Since Sammy was there for Leo's birth, I like to think he and Esperanza were close enough that she'd want to introduce him to Hephaestus.


	7. Leo VII

" **Leo VII** ," Aphrodite read.

**"Who is Aunt Rosa?" Hazel asked.**

"A pain in the ass." Hephaestus muttered darkly, not taking his eyes off of his machine. _How is someone like Esperanza related to someone like her?_

**Leo didn't want to talk about her. Nemesis's words were still buzzing in his ears. His tool belt seemed heavier since he'd put the cookie in there-which was impossible...Still, Leo imagined he could feel it in there, dragging him down, waiting to be cracked open.**

With a grimace, Percy couldn't help but be reminded of Pandora's Jar. There were times when the jar had been so tempting to open, it had come to a point that it had become unbearable to keep. If the fortune cookie gave off those same feelings, it couldn't be good.

"Is there any way to get rid of it?" he asked with a frown. "Maybe leave it somewhere? Or give it to someone else?"

"I don't think it would've been that easy." Leo told him. "It would've probably just reappeared in my tool belt or something."

"Yeah you're right..." Percy said. "But I don't think you should open it. That fortune cookie sounds dangerous."

"You're telling me!" Leo threw his hands up in exasperation. "That stupid cookie is the reason I ended up here in the first place!" _And it was for the dumbest reason too! If I had just enough time, I could've solved that puzzle without any help._

The son of Hephaestus sighed. 

**"Long story," he said. "She abandoned me after my mom died, gave me to foster care."**

**"I'm sorry."**

"It is what it is." Leo tried to shrug off. He rocked his chair back.

**... [Leo] "What about you? What Nemesis said about your brother?"**

Nico could only hope she wouldn't worry herself sick.

 **Hazel blinked like she'd gotten salt in her eyes. "Nico...he found me in the Underworld. He brought me back to the mortal world and convinced the Romans at Camp Jupiter to accept me.** **I owe him for my second chance at life. If Nemesis is right, and Nico's in danger...I have to help him."**

Leo winced. _And after hearing her say that, I turn around and tell her that Nico's untrustworthy and we should leave him to die. Seriously?! What was I thinking? No wonder why she was mad at me and Jay._

Nico frowned at her words.

"You don't owe me anything." he said. 

**"Sure," Leo said, though the idea made him uneasy. He doubted the revenge goddess ever gave advice out of the goodness of her heart.**

"It's better than nothing." Annabeth said. "Especially since the other gods can't do anything right now." _Which means, the only people we can depend on, are Aphrodite and Nemesis..._

She tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach. _Let's just hope the other gods will recover soon._

**"And what Nemesis said about your brother having six days to live, and Rome getting destroyed...any idea what she meant?"**

"It's obvious the giants have something to do with this..." Annabeth said. "They've probably taken you while you were looking for the Doors of Death." _But why only six days? What are they planning on doing to Rome and Nico? Is he really a diversion like he thinks he is, or are the giants planning on using him for something?_

"Sounds about right." Nico said. While Hades' normally stern face was creased with worry, Nico was doing his best to appear outwardly calm. Even when he told Percy about looking for the Doors of Death, he knew there was a chance something might happen to him. With Gaea awakening and monsters raising from the dead faster than before, he was bound to run into trouble. He just wished that trouble hadn't caused the others to derail their quest and look for him.

**"None," Hazel admitted. "But I'm afraid..."**

**Whatever she was thinking, she decided not to share it. She climbed one of the largest boulders to get a better view. Leo tried to follow and lost his balance. Hazel caught his hand. She pulled him up and they found themselves atop the rock, holding hands, face-to-face.** Aphrodite's face lit up. She couldn't stop smiling even if she tried. " _Oooo!_ The Falling into Their Arms trope! I haven't seen one this romantically awkward in a while! Bonus points to the Fates, for making you two squeeze together on the boulder. Nice touch, really brings out that romantic tension."

"Glad you liked it." Leo said sarcastically.

 **Hazel's eyes glittered like gold.** Aphrodite giggled. " _So_ poetic! You and Annabeth should form a poetry club!"

"Please don't bring that up again." Annabeth scowled as the Stolls snickered.

 _**Gold is easy,** _ **she'd said. It didn't seem that way to Leo-not when he looked at her. He wondered who Sammy was. Leo had a nagging suspicion that he** _**should** _ **know, but he just couldn't place the name.**

"You see? With sentences like these, can you really blame me for mistaking you for Sammy?" Nico pointed out. "'He _should_ know'. Doesn't that sound like you're trying to remember a past life?"

Drumming his fingers on his knee, Leo frowned. " _Yeah,_ that does sound weird. But I think I had that feeling because I recognized the name."

 **..."Um, thanks." He let go of her hand,** Aphrodite pouted. _Boring._ **but they were still standing so close, he could feel the warmth of her breath.** _I hate when these lead to nothing. A kiss would've been nice. Maybe an  accidental peck on the cheek. That would've spiced things up._ she sighed before reading. **She** _ **definitely**_ **didn't seem like a dead person.**

**"When we were talking to Nemesis," Hazel said uneasily, "your hands...I saw flames."**

**"Yeah," he said. "It's a Hephaestus power. Usually I can keep it under control."**

**"Oh." She put one hand protectively on her denim shirt, like she was about to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Leo got the feeling she wanted to back away from him, but the boulder was too small.**

The readers frowned in confusion. 

Leo opened his mouth to explain, but stopped himself short. 

 _No, it wouldn't be a good idea to tell everyone about Frank's weak point._ Leo decided. While he knew he could trust them, this was Frank's business and it wouldn't be right for him to share that with the others without him at least being there to approve.

He went through his tool belt.

Leo fiddled with a few screws and bolts.

**He gazed across the island. The opposite shore was only a few hundred yards away...but nothing that looked like a reflecting pool.**

_**You will always be the outsider,** _ **Nemesis had told him, _the seventh wheel._ ** _**You will not find a place among your brethren.** _

Wincing, Leo kept his eyes fixated on what he was doing.

Hephaestus scowled. "Don't listen to her, boy."

"Yeah, you're one of the team." Percy agreed. "Remember what Annabeth said? She's just trying to mess with you."

 _She's been doing a great job so far..._ Leo thought, but instead said: "I know, it doesn't bother me anymore."

**She might as well have poured acid in his ears.**

Hephaestus, Hestia, and the demigods shot him concerned looks.

 _Why do I even bother?_ Leo asked himself, trying to be invisible.

**Leo didn't need anybody to tell him he was odd man out.**

Leo grimaced. _Alright, Past Valdez, you can shut up now. Nobody needs to hear your pity party. Just accept that you'll always be an outsider and move on..._

He glimpsed up from his hands and noticed how uncomfortable his friends looked. They seemed like they wanted to say something, but they didn't know the right words to comfort him.

"What do you mean?" Percy finally asked. Leo's shoulders slumped.

 _Yeah, we're talking about something else._ he decided.

"The group just got together, it's too soon to be calling yourself the odd man out." Percy continued. He cringed, a thought suddenly occurring to him. "This isn't about how I was acting, was it? Because I swear I didn't mean-"

"I get it! You don't have to apologize every single time! _Geez!_ " Leo heaved an exaggerated sigh and made a big show of rolling his eyes. "I've put up with the first apology _and_ the second apology, but any more 'sorrys' and you're going to make it harder for me to resent you!"

Percy blinked in confusion. He and the others were clearly caught off guard by his reaction.

_Bingo!_

"You... _resent_ me?" the son of Poseidon repeated. _Did I hear that right?_

Leo huffed and crossed his arms.

"Of course I resent you! I'm just a weak repairman! You're the all-powerful prince of mermen! Guys like me tremble at your feet because we know, if we say the wrong thing, or make the wrong move, you'll destroy us all with your most devastating blow."

Leo's face became more solemn, he leaned forward and said in a deep monotone voice.

"Sharknado."

 _"What?"_   Connor burst out laughing.

The demigods were either smiling in bewilderment or laughing at Leo's performance. This wasn't his best work, he'll admit, but it did what it had to do. Conservation on feelings avoided. Leo: 1, Nemesis: 1,000,000.

"Never tried doing that before." Percy said, grinning. "But I'll keep it mind when we fight the giants."

"Better start training!" Leo smiled cheerfully. He leaned back in his chair, satisfied with his work, until he caught Nico's disapproving frown.

 _I know what you just did, and I don't like it._ his face seemed to say, but he remained silent.

Leo quickly looked away. _Whatever, it worked. That's all that matters._

**He'd spent months alone in Bunker 9 at Camp Half-Blood, working on his ship while his friends trained together and shared meals and played capture-the-flag for fun and prizes.**

"Okay, that's my fault." Leo admitted with a shrug.

"I meant what I said before," Travis said. "Next time we have a prank planned out, we're dragging you with us. I don't care when the deadline is."

"And I'll make sure that bunker's empty before curfew, so you won't even be thinking about all-nighters." Will swore.

Hearing the seriousness in their voices, Leo couldn't help but feel sorry for his past self.

 _Poor guy's never going to get things done with the Stolls and Will Solace hunting him down._ he thought with a yawn.

**Even his two best friends, Piper and Jason, often treated him like an outsider.**

Some of the readers frowned, as if they were starting to remember the earlier conservation.

Leo frowned. _Well, that's not going to happen._

"I just felt left out because they were together without me." he said nonchalantly. "I got over it."

**...His only other friend, Festus the dragon, had been reduced to a figurehead when his control disk had gotten destroyed on their last adventure. Leo didn't have the technical skill to repair it.**

Leo hesitated. That one he had a harder time dismissing.

Hephaestus sighed. "It wasn't your fault, some things don't last forever."

His son nodded his head.

 **The seventh wheel.** **Leo had heard of a fifth wheel-an extra, useless piece of equipment. He figured a seventh wheel was worse.**

Leo bit his lip. How was he supposed to explain away this one?

_Make that, Leo: -1._

Hephaestus' frown deepened as he sent his son another worried look.

The demigods winced.

"You're not a seventh wheel." Jake said.

"Yeah, you're just as important to the team as everyone else." Percy said. "You built the ship that's going to get this quest started, I don't know what we would've done if you weren't with us. So you shouldn't make yourself out to be some kind of outsider."

Saying that seemed to trigger something in Percy, his eyes flashed in realization.

"Wait a minute..." he said slowly, before pointing an accusing finger at Leo. "You used Sharknado to distract us from talking about this!" 

The demigods turned to the son of Hephaestus in surprise.

Leo just sheepishly smiled. "You can't blame me for trying..."

The others groaned in response. 

"Com'on man, you know our ADHD is bad. Why'd you have to use it against us!" Connor complained.

"I'm betrayed, but not surprised." Travis said, putting his hand over his heart in mock hurt.

"You can't just change the subject, Leo. We need to talk about this." Katie told him.

"Why? It's not like it alters the future! It's just me being stupid." Leo argued.

"First, you're not being stupid. Second, because you're our friend and we're not going to let you feel like that." Annabeth said. "How would you feel if Jason thought he was worthless? Or if Piper called herself a seventh wheel?"

Leo froze.

"Oh."

"Now he gets it." Nico said.

"We're not asking for miracles, but can you please try to open up to us? We'd rather you talk about it then trying to keep your feelings bottled up." Will told him.

Leo was silent for a couple minutes, before he slowly nodded his head.

"Okay, I'll try." he sighed.

"Thank you."

**He'd thought maybe this quest would be a fresh start for him...**

**Do the math, he chided himself.**

**Nemesis was right. He might be part of a group of seven, but he was still isolated. He had fired on the Romans and brought his friends nothing but trouble.** _**You will not find a place among your brethren.** _

**"Leo?" Hazel asked gently. "You can't take what Nemesis said to heart."**

**He frowned. "What if it's true?"**

**"She's the goddess of revenge," Hazel reminded him. "Maybe she's on our side, maybe not; but she exists to stir up resentment."**

Nico and Annabeth nodded in agreement.

**Leo wished he could dismiss his feelings that easily. He couldn't...**

"We'll work on it." Annabeth told him.

**"We should keep going," he said. "I wonder what Nemesis meant about finishing before dark."**

_Narcissus probably gets mad when he can't see his reflection..._ Annabeth thought with a frown. He sounded like an idiot, but the man was skilled with a bow and arrow. Meeting him after dark would not be a good idea.

**Hazel glanced at the sun, which was just touching the horizon. "And who is the cursed boy she mentioned?"**

**Below them, a voice said, "Cursed boy she mentioned."**

Not knowing what to expect, the readers tensed. 

Leo softly smiled. _I wonder how Echo's doing now?_

**At first, Leo saw no one. Then his eyes adjusted. He realized a young woman was standing only ten feet from the base of the boulder. Her dress was a Greek-style tunic the same color as the rocks. Her wispy hair was somewhere between brown and blond and gray, so it blended with the dry grass. She wasn't invisible, exactly, but she was almost perfectly camouflaged until she moved. Even then, Leo had trouble focusing on her. Her face was pretty but not memorable. In fact, each time Leo blinked, he couldn't remember what she looked like, and he had to concentrate to find her again.**

The demigods frowned in confusion.

 _She sounds like a nymph, but nymphs don't blend in well enough that they're nearly invisible._ Grover thought with a slight frown.

Realizing who it could be, Hestia winced.

 _The poor girl, she still has that curse?_ _For this long?_ she thought sadly.

Hera smirked. _Not so talkative now, are you?_

**"Hello," Hazel said. "Who are you?"**

**"Who are you?" the girl answered. Her voice sounded weary, like she was tired of answering that question.**

_Oh, of course!_ Annabeth realized. _If Narcissus is around here, then it'd only make sense that Echo's nearby._

**..."Are you the cursed kid Nemesis mentioned?" Leo asked. "But you're a girl."**

**"You're a girl," said the girl.**

Katie rolled her eyes as the Stolls snickered.

"Is she going to keep doing this through the whole chapter?" Percy frowned.

"She doesn't have a choice." Annabeth said. "That's Echo, a nymph who's been cursed to repeat the last thing she's heard."

"Cursed by who?" Chris asked.

The daughter of Athena glared at Hera. "Take a wild guess."

The goddess rolled her eyes. " _Please._ Don't feel bad for her. She got what she deserved for distracting me while my _husband_ was off flirting with nymphs." She glared at Zeus, who rolled his eyes and sighed. "If she had just kept her big mouth shut and let me search for my husband in peace, she would've been fine."

Hestia eyed her disapprovingly.

**Leo scratched his head. "But wasn't that thousands of years...oh. You're one of the mortals who came back through the Doors of Death. I really wish we could stop running into dead people."**

"That came out worse than I thought it would." Leo said, swinging his legs back and forth.

"Hopefully Hazel doesn't take it personal." Katie frowned.

**"Dead people," Echo said, like she was chastising him.**

**He realized Hazel was staring at her feet.**

**"Uh...sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean it that way."**

**"That way." Echo pointed toward the far shore of the island.**

_Probably to show them where Narcissus is... But why?_ Annabeth wondered.

**"You want to show us something?" Hazel asked. She climbed down the boulder, and Leo followed.**

**Even up close, Echo was hard to see. In fact, she seemed to get more invisible the longer he looked at her.**

"Why is she so hard to see?" Chris asked.

"She was a distraction before, now she's not." Hera smiled.

"Isn't that too much? You've already taken her voice, now you take away her existence." Hestia said.

"It's not like I killed her, I was being very merciful." her sister responded.

**..."So...you have to repeat everything?" he asked.**

**"Everything."**

**Leo couldn't help smiling. "That could be fun."**

**"Fun," she said unhappily.**

"Don't do it..." Hestia said sadly. "She's already been tormented enough."

"Sorry, I couldn't help it." Leo apologized.

**"Blue elephants."**

**"Blue elephants."**

**"Kiss me, you fool."**

**"You fool."**

Apollo, Hermes, and the Stolls laughed.

"I walked into that one." Leo said, laughing along with them.

**"Hey!"**

**"Hey!"**

**"Leo," Hazel pleaded, "don't tease her."**

"Yes, that's enough." Hestia said.

**...She gestured for them to follow and sprinted down the slope...**

**"We'd better hurry," Hazel said. "Or we'll lose her."**

**They found the problem-if you can call a mob of good-looking girls a problem.**

The readers exchanged confused looks.

**...Gathered at the water's edge were several dozen nymphs...**

**Leo didn't understand what they were doing, but they were all crowded together in one spot, facing the pond and jostling for a better view. Several held up phone cameras, trying to get a shot over the heads of the others...**

_What would a nymph even do with a phone?_ Percy absentmindedly wondered.

**..."What are they looking at?" Leo wondered.**

**"Looking at," Echo sighed.**

**"One way to find out." Hazel marched forward and began nudging her way through the crowd. "Excuse us. Pardon me."**

**"Hey!" one nymph complained. "We were here first!"**

**"Yeah," another sniffed. "He won't be interested in** _**you** _ **."**

"He?" Will repeated.

"The cursed boy." Annabeth clarified.

 **The second nymph had large red hearts painted on her cheeks. Over her dress, she wore a T-shirt that read:** _**OMG, I <3 N!** _

Hephaestus groaned. " _Great,_ more fan girls."

"Just what this book was missing..." Dionysus grumbled, flipping through his magazine.

**"Uh, demigod business," Leo said, trying to sound official. "Make room. Thanks."**

**The nymphs grumbled, but they parted to reveal a young man kneeling at the edge of the pond, gazing intently at the water.**

**Leo usually didn't pay much attention to how other guys looked. He supposed that came from hanging around Jason-tall, blond, rugged, and basically everything Leo could never be.**

"You have redeeming qualities." Aphrodite told him. "Not everyone can be funny."

**Leo was used to not being noticed by girls. At least, he knew he'd never get a girl by his looks. He hoped his personality and sense of humor would do that someday, though it definitely hadn't worked yet.**

"That has nothing to do with anything." Leo said flatly. 

**At any rate, Leo couldn't miss the fact that the guy at the pond was one super good-looking dude. He had a chiseled face with lips and eyes that were somewhere between feminine beautiful and masculine handsome. Dark hair swept over his brow. He might've been seventeen or twenty, it was hard to say, but he was built like a dancer-with long graceful arms and muscular legs, perfect posture and an air of regal calm. He wore a simple white T-shirt and jeans, with a bow and quiver strapped to his back.**

Aphrodite's daughters swooned.

Apollo sat up in his throne, letting out a low whistle in appreciation.

"Okay, he's pretty hot." the god admitted. "Like... _damn..._ "

Nico's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He quickly looked around at the others, expecting them to have looks of disgust or make some kind of rude comment, but some only looked as surprised as he did. Everyone else didn't even act as if Apollo said something out of the ordinary.

The son of Hades blinked. _Is everyone just... okay with this? Or are they not saying anything because he's a god?_

He felt his stomach do flips, he wasn't sure if it was out of unease or hope.

Hermes laughed. "Wipe that drool off your chin, Apollo. You two wouldn't work out, you'd be too busy competing with his reflection."

The god of the sun frowned at that. "You're right. I'm all about self-love, but that's too much for me to deal with."

 **T** **he weapons obviously hadn't been used in a while. The arrows were covered in dust. A spider had woven a web in the top of the bow.**

Annabeth shivered.

 _What a waste of a perfectly good bow._ Artemis thought, shaking her head.

**As Leo edged closer, he realized the guy's face was unusually golden. In the sunset, the light was bouncing off a large flat sheet of Celestial bronze that lay at the bottom of the pond, washing Mr. Handsome's features in a warm glow...**

  **Hazel inhaled sharply. "He's gorgeous."**

Nico was too wrapped up in his thoughts to comment.

**Around her, the nymphs squealed and clapped in agreement.**

A couple of the Aphrodite girls did the same.

The Hunters of Artemis either gagged or rolled their eyes.

 **"I am," the young man murmured dreamily, his gaze still fixed on the water. "I am** _**so** _ **gorgeous."**

"Uh... Ok?" Percy said, making a face. "I'm guessing this is part of his curse?"

Annabeth nodded her head. "That's Narcissus. Because he broken so many girls' hearts, Nemesis cursed him to fall in love with his reflection. He had been doing that until he died, but I'm not sure if it was because he drowned or old age."

She turned to Leo.

"I dunno either." he admitted. "I tried asking him, but well, you see how he is..."

"Right." she frowned.

 **One of the nymphs showed her iPhone screen. "His latest YouTube video got a million hits in like, an** _**hour** _ **. I think I was half of those!"**

"Is that something you should be proud of?" Phoebe muttered.

"What does he have a YouTube video of?" Percy asked. "What does he do besides stare at himself?"

**...She showed Leo the video. It was exactly what they were seeing in real life-the guy staring at himself in the pond.**

Percy shook his head. "I should've guessed..."

"Why is that even a video?" Thalia said, looking disgusted. "It's not like he's doing anything different than what he normally does."

"How can we be sure that the nymphs aren't cursed as well?" Celin asked. "Anybody who is willing to stand there and stare at Narcissus, must have something wrong with them."

Phoebe snorted. "Good point."

 **"He is sooooo hot!" said another girl. Her T-shirt read:** _**MRS. NARCISSUS** _ **.**

**"Narcissus?" Leo asked.**

**"Narcissus," Echo agreed sadly. Leo had forgotten Echo was there.**

**Apparently none of the nymphs had noticed her either.**

**"Oh, not** _**you** _ **again!" Mrs. Narcissus tried to push Echo away, but she misjudged where the camouflaged girl was and ended up shoving several other nymphs.**

"Looks like being nearly invisible has its perks." Hermes chuckled.

 **"You had your chance, Echo!" said the nymph with the iPhone. "He dumped you four thousand years ago! You are** _**so** _ **not good enough for him."**

**"For him," Echo said bitterly.**

**"Wait." [Hazel]..."What's going on here? Why did Echo bring us here?"**

**One nymph rolled her eyes. She was holding an autograph pen and a crumpled poster of Narcissus.**

"Who took the time and materials to make that?" Thalia asked. "Seriously, don't these girls have anything better to do?"

**"Echo was a nymph like us, a long time ago, but she was a total chatterbox! Gossiping, blah, blah, blah, all the time."**

**"I know!" another nymph shrieked. "Like, who could stand that? Just the other day, I told Cleopeia-you know she lives in the boulder next to me?-I said:** _**Stop gossiping or you'll end up like Echo.** _ **Cleopeia is such a big mouth! Did you hear what she said about that cloud nymph and the satyr?"**

"They're really gossiping about Coach Hedge and Mellie?" Thalia said flatly. "Now I _know_ they have nothing better to do."

**..."Now she's got some weird idea he needs saving," said Mrs. Narcissus. "She should just go away."**

The hunters snorted.

"Save a guy like that? Impossible. She's back to life now, she'll be better off just leaving him and try to find something that makes her happy." Naomi said.

"Yeah," Annabeth couldn't help but agree. "He seems pretty okay with just sitting there and staring at himself again."

"But he can't help it." Hestia reminded. "He's cursed. Maybe there's some way to snap him out of it."

The other demigods looked skeptical, but said nothing.

**"Go away," Echo growled back.**

**"I'm** _**so** _ **glad Narcissus is alive again," said another nymph in a gray dress. She had the words** _**NARCISSUS + LAIEA** _ **written up and down her arms in black marker. "He's like** _**the best** _ **! And he's in** _**my** _ **territory."**

 **"Oh, stop it, Laiea," her friend said. "** _**I'm** _ **the pond nymph. You're just the rock nymph."**

**..."No, he obviously came here because he likes the wildflowers!" another said. "Those are mine!"**

"He obviously doesn't care about anyone but himself." Percy commented.

**..."Hold it!" Leo yelled. "Ladies, hold it! I need to ask Narcissus something."**

**Slowly the nymphs settled down and went back to taking pictures.**

**Leo knelt next to the handsome dude. "So, Narcissus. What's up?"**

**"Could you move?" Narcissus asked distractedly. "You're ruining the view."**

"Nice to see you too." Leo rolled his eyes.

"No wonder why the nymphs love him, he's so polite." Thalia said sarcastically.

**Leo looked in the water. His own reflection rippled next to Narcissus's on the surface of the submerged bronze...**

**What it was doing in this pond, Leo wasn't sure.** **Celestial bronze fell to earth in odd places. He'd heard that most pieces were cast off from his dad's various workshops. Hephaestus would lose his temper when projects didn't work out, and he'd toss his scraps into the mortal world.**

"I know that someone would find a better use for them than me just trashing them." Hephaestus explained. "They might be failures, but the scraps still have their uses."

"He's going to hit someone on the head with those one day..." Aphrodite grumbled as she continued reading.

**This piece looked like it might have been meant as a shield for a god, but it hadn't turned out properly. If Leo could get it back to the ship, it would be just enough bronze for his repairs.**

"Perfect." Hephaestus smiled. _Glad I could help._

Leo tried to juggle his screws.

**"Right, great view," Leo said. "Happy to move, but if you're not using it, could I just take that sheet of bronze?"**

**"No," Narcissus said. "I love him. He's so gorgeous."** Aphrodite made a face.

" _Yeah,_ he doesn't sound very hot anymore..." Apollo said, cringing.

It took a while for the demigods for that to sink in.

The Aphrodite girls immediately stopped giggling. The siblings exchanged looks of shock and disgust.

"Eeeewwww!" the girls shrieked.

"It's worse than I thought." Annabeth grimaced. 

"He has to know that's just a reflection." Katie said, eyes wide. "He just has to. There's no way he never tried to reach out and touch his reflection."

"I almost hope he doesn't." Connor said. "At least if he thought it was another person, you could make the excuse that he doesn't know what's happening to him."

"He has to know it's a reflection." Lacy reminded. "He said 'I'm so gorgeous' before."

Mitchell shook his head. " _Gods..._ and Echo wants to save this guy? I don't even think he remembers that other people exist. He didn't even react to the nymphs arguing."

**Leo looked around to see if the nymphs were laughing. This had to be a huge joke. But they were swooning and nodding in agreement. Only Hazel seemed appalled. She wrinkled her nose as if she'd come to the conclusion that Narcissus smelled worse than he looked.**

**"Man," Leo said to Narcissus. "You** _**do** _ **realize that you're looking at** _**yourself** _ **in the water, right?"**

 **"I am so great," Narcissus sighed. He stretched out a hand longingly to touch the water, but held back. "No, I can't make ripples. That ruins the image. Wow...I am** _**so** _ **great."**

"That's so pathetic." Clarisse said. "Just take the bronze and go, this guy's making me sick."

"Not yet." Annabeth said. "The nymphs and Narcissus might retaliate. It's better if Leo sees how this plays out."

"I don't think I can take much more of this." the daughter of Ares said, a few nodded in agreement.

**"Yeah," Leo muttered. "But if I took the bronze, you could still see yourself in the water. Or here..." He reached in his tool belt and pulled out a simple mirror the size of a monocle. "I'll trade you."**

"Good idea!" Annabeth said. "Maybe it might get him to actually leave the pond."

 **Narcissus took the mirror, reluctantly, and admired himself. "Even** _**you** _ **carry a picture of me? I don't blame you. I am gorgeous. Thank you."**

Annabeth's eye twitched. _Of course it's not that easy._

Clarisse smacked her forehead.

"He's has to know what a mirror is," Percy said. "He's not _that_ old."

"But he is that dumb." Thalia said.

**...[Narcissus] "But I already have a much better image. The color flatters me, don't you think?"**

**"Oh, gods, yes!" a nymph screamed. "Marry me, Narcissus!"**

**"No, me!" another cried. "Would you sign my poster?"**

**"No, sign my shirt!"**

**"No, sign my forehead!"**

Artemis rubbed her temples.

**"No, sign my-"**

**"Stop it!" Hazel snapped.**

_Thank you!_ Artemis silently praised.

"No wait! What did she want signed?" Connor snickered.

**...Leo had lost sight of Echo again, but now he realized she was kneeling on the other side of Narcissus, waving her hand in front of his face as if trying to break his concentration. Narcissus didn't even blink.**

**The nymph fan club tried to shove Hazel out of the way, but she drew her cavalry sword and forced them back. "Snap out of it!" she yelled.**

**"He won't sign your sword," the poster nymph complained.**

"Why would she want him to?" Naomi muttered.

 **"He won't marry you," said the iPhone girl. "And you can't take his bronze mirror! That's what** _**keeps** _ **him here!"**

"Pretty sure he was already there before the mirror showed up." Percy reminded.

 **"You're all ridiculous," Hazel said. "He's so** _**full** _ **of himself! How can you possibly like him?"**

"He's handsome." Mitchell shrugged. "What else is there to like about him?"

**..."Narcissus, listen." Hazel kept her sword at the ready. "Echo brought us here to help you. Didn't you, Echo?"**

**"Echo," said Echo.**

**"Who?" Narcissus said.**

"The only girl who doesn't want you to waste away staring at yourself," Thalia sighed. "Personally, I think she's wasting her time."

**[Hazel]... "Do you remember dying?"**

**Narcissus frowned. "I...no. That can't be right. I am much too important to die."**

Artemis snorted at this.

Thalia pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm starting to think Clarisse has the right idea. Leo should just take the Celestial bronze and run, who cares about Narcissus throwing a temper tantrum."

"Thank you!" Clarisse said, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

"Don't underestimate him." Annabeth warned. "He might be crazy but he's still skilled with a bow and arrow."

" _Was_ skilled." the daughter of Zeus corrected. "He can't be very good now. He couldn't have gotten enough practice in, if he literally died staring at himself."

"I doubt his weapon even works anymore." Celin added.

"Still... the nymphs could be a threat, remember the Maenads?"

"Who could forget." Hephaestus shuddered.

**...Leo stood. "It doesn't matter. The point is you're alive again, man. You have a second chance. That's what Nemesis was telling us. You can get up, and get on with your life. Echo is trying to save you. Or you can stay here and stare at yourself until you die again."**

**"Stay here!" all the nymphs screamed.**

**"Marry me before you die!" another squeaked.**

"That's horrible!" Katie said. "They'd rather him sit there and rot, just so they can stare at him?"

"They're just as insane as he is." Grover said.

**Narcissus shook his head. "You just want my reflection. I don't blame you, but you can't have it. I belong to me."**

Most of the readers cringed.

Athena winced as if she had been slapped.

 _I had to read that!_ Aphrodite gagged.

"Words can't describe how _stupid_ that sounds." Thalia sighed.

"I think I lost a few brain cells listening to it." Annabeth stated, rubbing her forehead.

**... [Hazel] "Leo, could we talk for a minute?"**

**"Excuse us," Leo told Narcissus. "Echo, want to come with?"**

**"Come with," Echo confirmed.**

**The nymphs clustered around Narcissus again and began recording new videos and taking more photos.**

Thalia rolled her eyes. _Taking pictures of rocks would've been more worthwhile than snapping photos of him._

**Hazel led the way until they were out of earshot. "Nemesis was right," she said. "Some demigods can't change their nature. Narcissus is going to stay there until he dies again."**

A few people nodded along in agreement.

"It's pointless." Katie said simply.

**"No," Leo said.**

The readers blinked in surprise.

**"We need that bronze," Leo said. "If we take it away, it might give Narcissus a reason to snap out of it. Echo could have a chance to save him."**

"You don't honestly believe that..." Clarisse said slowly. "You've seen how he is. Even if you take away the bronze, he'll just go back to staring at his reflection."

"We don't know that for sure." Leo shrugged. "Maybe Narcissus won't find the reflection as beautiful without the bronze, and he'll be willing to move? We have to try something, the ship won't function without that bronze."

"You're right..." Lacy admitted. "I just wish you didn't get Echo's hopes up."

**"A chance to save him," Echo said gratefully.**

**Hazel stabbed her sword in the sand. "It could also make several dozen nymphs very angry with us," she said.**

"It's not like it would be the first time it would happen." Leo said.

Hephaestus grimaced.

**"And Narcissus might still know how to shoot his bow."**

"Considering how bad the condition of his bow is, I wouldn't be too worried about it." Apollo said dismissively.

"I'm surprised it hadn't rotted away yet." Artemis added.

**Leo pondered that. The sun was just about down. Nemesis had mentioned that Narcissus got agitated after dark, probably because he couldn't see his reflection anymore.**

A couple people rolled their eyes at this.

 **Leo didn't want to stick around long enough to find out what the goddess meant by** _**agitated** _ **. He'd also had experience with mobs of crazed nymphs. He wasn't anxious to repeat that.**

"Yes, let's avoid that as best as we can." the god of fire said anxiously. 

**"Hazel," he said, "your power with precious metal- Can you just detect it, or can you actually summon it to you?"**

**She frowned. "Sometimes I can summon it. I've never tried with a piece of Celestial bronze that big before. I might be able to draw it to me through the earth, but I'd have to be fairly close. It would take a lot of concentration, and it wouldn't be fast."**

**"Be fast," Echo warned.**

**Leo cursed. He had hoped they could just go back to the ship, and Hazel could teleport the Celestial bronze from a safe distance.**

"Now what?" Clarisse grumbled.

"Calm down. I got a Plan B." Leo said.

"And what exactly is this Plan B?" Will asked.

He was almost sorry he did, when Leo gave him a wicked smile.

"Let's just say, I'm going to make one helluva distraction!"

Hephaestus felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. _This is going to end with those fangirls chasing him, isn't it?_

**"All right," he said. "We'll have to try something risky. Hazel, how about you try to summon the bronze from right here? Make it sink through the sand and tunnel over to you, then grab it and run for the ship."**

**"But Narcissus is looking at it all the time," she said.**

**"All the time," Echo echoed.**

**"That'll be my job," Leo said, hating his own plan already. "Echo and I will cause a distraction."**

**"Distraction?" Echo asked.**

**"I'll explain," Leo promised. "Are you willing?"**

**"Willing," Echo said.**

**"Great," Leo said. "Now, let's hope we don't die."**

"I hate this plan already." Hephaestus groaned.

Leo laughed. " _Relax!_   You worry too much! This is my best plan yet!"

Somehow that didn't comfort the god, in fact, he looked even more stressed.

"Finished." Aphrodite announced.

"I'll read next." Will said, taking the book.

" **Leo VIII** ,"


	8. Leo VIII

" **Leo VIII** ," Will began.

**Leo psyched himself up for an extreme makeover.** Will blinked.

"We're only a sentence in, and I already have so many questions..." the son of Apollo muttered.

"A makeover?!" Aphrodite perked up. Her children looked equally interested. "Tell me more!"

"Of course you'd be interested." Artemis said, rolling her eyes.

**He summoned some breath mints**

"Good idea." the goddess of love nodded her head. "You can never go wrong with those."

**and a pair of welding goggles from his tool belt.**

She frowned a bit. 

"The tool belt doesn't have sunglasses." Leo explained. To prove his point, he pulled out a pair of goggles. "It's the best I could do."

"I see... It's not trendy, but it'll make a fine replacement." Aphrodite said. _What type of look is he trying to create?_

Leo strapped the goggles on his head.

**...He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. He used some machine oil to grease back his hair.**

"No hair gel either." he told the others.

Aphrodite gagged.

**He stuck a wrench in his back pocket...**

"Why?" Will couldn't help but ask.

Leo shrugged. "It felt right."

_This is going to get weirder, I just know it._ the son of Apollo thought to himself.

**and he had Hazel draw a tattoo on his biceps with a marker: HOT STUFF, with a skull and crossbones.**

Aphrodite blinked.

" _Wait..._ " she slowly started to smile. "Are- Are you going for a _bad boy_ look?" 

The goddess bit her lip to stifle her giggles.

"Sure am!" Leo said proudly. He didn't notice the way the others exchanged smiles as he continued. "I figured if I'm going to be a distraction, why not let these ladies see the _real_ Leo Valdez!"

Unable to hold it back anymore, the readers burst out laughing. Even Hephaestus was booming with laughter.

Leo stopped and looked around in confusion.

"What's so funny?" he frowned.

"You-" Aphrodite breathed. "You think you're a _bad boy!"_

"Of course I'm a bad boy!" Leo said, crossing his arms. 

The laughter grew louder.

"Man, you're a lot of things: a workaholic, a mechanic, funny..." Travis listed off. "But you're not a bad boy."

"The only thing bad about you is how you work past curfews." Will added.

Leo scowled at them. 

"I am too a bad boy! I might seem soft now, but you should've seen me back when I was in school. I didn't do homework, I'd disrupt classes, I'd take bathroom breaks so I could miss Popcorn reading, I'd pull pranks..." Leo smirked, expecting them to be impressed, but the others just gave him amused looks.

"I bet you didn't even skip classes." Hermes chuckled, earning another round of laughing.

"I did other things!" he defended.

"Sweetie, I know everything there is to know about bad boys, and you're not one of them." Aphrodite said.

"Fine, don't believe me! You'll be changing your minds after you see how bad I can really be." Leo huffed.

"If you say so." Nico grinned.

**"What in the world are you thinking?" She sounded pretty flustered.**

**"I try not to think," Leo admitted. "It interferes with being nuts.**

Annabeth sighed. _Great, now we have two Percys..._

"It's better not to second guess yourself." Percy agreed.

"Exactly, just go with the flow. Everything will work out eventually... Maybe..." Leo added.

_Fates, give me strength..._ Hephaestus silently thought.

**Just concentrate on moving that Celestial bronze. Echo, you ready?"**

**"Ready," she said.**

**Leo took a deep breath. He strutted back toward the pond, hoping he looked awesome and not like he had some sort of nervous affliction.**

"I can only imagine what they were thinking when they saw you..." Chris chuckled.

"Probably something along the lines of: Now there goes one handsome guy!" Leo suggested.

"Doubt it." Clarisse said.

**"Leo is the coolest!" he shouted.**

**"Leo is the coolest!" Echo shouted back.**

**"Yeah, baby, check me out!"**

**"Check me out!" Echo said.**

_Really? 'Check me out'? That one was probably the weakest. I should have said something like... I dunno 'Make way for the McShizzle man!' Or um... 'Bad boy coming through!' Or something._ Leo thought.

He tapped his feet on the ground.

**..."Narcissus is weak!"**

**"Weak!"**

**The crowd of nymphs scattered in surprise. Leo shooed them away as if they were bothering him. "No autographs, girls. I know you want some Leo time, but I'm way too cool. You better just hang around that ugly dweeb Narcissus. He's lame!"**

"Where was this energy when you were being Dionysus?" Hermes asked with a grin.

"Hard to sound this excited after you see the Maenads tear apart a drakon." Leo explained with a shudder.

**The nymphs muttered angrily.**

**"What are you talking about?" one demanded.**

**"** _**You're** _ **lame," said another.**

Hephaestus shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe you should stop."

"I know what I'm doing." Leo assured.

**Leo adjusted his goggles and smiled. He flexed his biceps,**

"Now the book's just making stuff up, you don't have muscles!" Connor snickered.

"I am very fit for a demigod my age, thank you very much." Leo replied in mock offense.

**though he didn't have much to flex,**

The Stolls snickered.

"I have _something."_ Leo stressed.

**and showed off his HOT STUFF tattoo.**

**He had the nymphs' attention, if only because they were stunned; but Narcissus was still fixed on his own reflection.**

Clarisse rolled her eyes. "Of course. Got any other ideas?"

"Give me a couple minutes, I'm just getting started." Leo smirked, rocking his chair back.

**"You know how ugly Narcissus is?" Leo asked the crowd. "He's so ugly, when he was born his mama thought he was a backward centaur—with a horse butt for a face."**

Hephaestus paled. _Did he really just say that to Narcissus' insane fan club!_

_"Pppfffttt!"_ Travis burst out laughing.

"I wish Chiron was here!" Connor said, coughing in between his laughing.

"I'm more interested to hear what Echo thought." Hermes chuckled.

**Some of the nymphs gasped. Narcissus frowned, as though he was vaguely aware of a gnat buzzing around his head.**

"I'd be surprised if he didn't do anything." Apollo said.

**"You know why his bow has cobwebs?" Leo continued. "He uses it to hunt for dates, but he can't find one!"**

"More like he couldn't get one." Thalia smiled as some of the hunters giggled.

**One of the nymphs laughed. The others quickly elbowed her into silence.**

"You're winning some of them over?" Chris said in surprise.

Leo turned to him to make a joke, when he felt a sudden wave of lightheadedness. The room swayed side to side as if he was on a boat. 

He closed his eyes, waiting for the feeling to pass.

**Narcissus turned and scowled at Leo. "Who _are_ you?"** Will's eyes widened in surprise.

The readers sat there stunned.

"He... He actually looked away." Katie said softly.

"And all Leo had to do was say a couple insults..." Mitchell muttered.

**"I'm the Super-sized McShizzle, man!" Leo said.**

"A what?" Will frowned.

The readers turned to the son of Hephaestus.

The boy had his head resting in his hands.

Will's frown deepened. "Leo?"

No answer.

"Leo!" Connor shook him.

The teen nearly jumped out of his seat. "Huh? Yeah? What is it?"

"What's a McShizzle?" Hestia asked.

For a moment, Leo looked confused.

"A _wha_...?" his eyes widened in realization. " _Oh!_ A McShizzle! You guys don't know what that is?"

Seeing everyone's blank expressions, he playfully rolled his eyes. "Com'on guys, I know I'm in the past, but I didn't go _that_ far. Everybody knows what a McShizzle is."

"We don't, what is it?" Nyssa asked.

Leo rested his chin on his hand. "Um... a McShizzle is a..." he paused, struggling to find the words. "It's like this, to be a McShizzle, you have to... McShizzles are..."

He groaned in frustration.

"I can't explain it in words, but just believe me when I say that a McShizzle is really awesome." he concluded, brushing his hair back.

_He made it up._ Nico decided.

Will was about to read, when he hesitated. 

"Leo, are you okay?" 

Hephaestus frowned and looked at his son.

Leo waved off the worried looks. "I'm fine."

He sat up straighter as if to prove his point.

Will hesitated again, but went back to reading.

**"I'm Leo Valdez, bad boy supreme.**

A couple people snickered.

Leo rolled his eyes. "Ha. Ha. Laugh it up. You haven't seen my true bad boy colors yet." 

**And the ladies _love_ a bad boy."**

**"Love a bad boy!" Echo said, with a convincing squeal.**

"I don't know how she did it. There's no way I could've taken this seriously." Hermes remarked.

**Leo took out a pen and autographed the arm of one of the nymphs.**

"Without asking!" Leo made a point to add. He wiggled his eyebrows. "Pretty bad, am I right?"

"It's okay, but you'll have to do better than that." Aphrodite told him.

**"Narcissus is a loser! He's so weak, he can't bench-press a Kleenex. He's so lame, when you look up lame on Wikipedia, it's got a picture of Narcissus—only the picture's so ugly, no one ever checks it out."**

Some of the demigods laughed.

"I need to remember these for later!" Travis laughed.

"Best chapter, hands down!" Connor exclaimed.

"I'm not even finished yet!" Leo grinned.

"Don't you think you're getting carried away?" Hephaestus worriedly asked. "Maybe you should stop?"

"Bad boys don't listen to their parents!" Leo said enthusiastically.

_Machines don't have teenage rebellion..._ the god grimaced. Poseidon comfortingly patted his back.

"It's a phase, it'll pass..." he soothed.

**Narcissus knit his handsome eyebrows...For the moment, he'd totally forgotten about the pond, and Leo could see the sheet of bronze sinking into the sand.**

"It's working!" Lacy said excitedly, jumping up and down in her chair.

**"What are you talking about?" Narcissus demanded. "I am amazing. Everyone knows this."**

**"Amazing at** _**pure suck** _ **," Leo said.**

Some demigods gasped.

A few clenched their chests, pretending they were wounded.

**"If I was as** _**suck** _ **as you, I'd drown myself. Oh wait, you already did that."**

Hephaestus looked like he was going to faint.

" _Ooooohhhh!!"_ the demigods chorused. 

Leo high-fived the Stolls.

"Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful." Hermes said, wiping away a tear. "One of the best comebacks I've heard in a while."

"That insult wasn't even for me, and _I'm_ hurt!" Percy chuckled. 

"That was pretty bad." Aphrodite giggled. "I take back everything I said. You're a bad boy."

"Thank you." Leo said proudly.

**Another nymph giggled. Then another. Narcissus growled...Meanwhile Leo beamed and wiggled his eyebrows over his goggles and spread his hands, gesturing for applause.**

**"That's right!" he said. "Team Leo for the win!"**

**"Team Leo for the win!" Echo shouted...**

**"Oh my god, I am so awesome!" Leo bellowed.**

**"So awesome!" Echo yelled back.**

**"He** _**is** _ **funny," a nymph ventured.**

"I _am_ pretty amazing? Aren't I?" Leo readily agreed, kicking a bolt across the room.

"Don't let this get to your head." Katie teased.

**"And cute, in a scrawny way," another said.**

Percy frowned in confusion. _Is he literally forming his own fan club in, like, the ten minutes he's talked to them? How did he do that?_

**"Scrawny?" Leo asked** causing the Stolls to snicker. **"Baby, I** _ **invented**_ **scrawny. Scrawny is the new** _ **sizzling**_ _ **hot**_ **. And I GOT the scrawny.**

"Oh my gods! He didn't even fight! He just embraced it!" Connor laughed harder.

"Embrace the scrawny, Leo! Embrace it for us scrawny boys everywhere!" Travis shouted, with a fist pump.

**Narcissus? He's such a loser even the Underworld didn't want him. He couldn't get the ghost girls to date him."**

"Ugh!" Aphrodite shuddered along with some of her daughters.

**"Eww," said a nymph.**

**..."Stop!" Narcissus got to his feet. "This is not right! This person is obviously not awesome, so he must be..." He struggled for the right words. It had probably been a long time since he'd talked about anything other than himself.**

"Take your time, we know it takes a while for you to think." Thalia said sarcastically.

**"He must be tricking us."**

"He's smarter than I thought. He got it on the first try." the daughter of Zeus said, looking genuinely surprised.

**... [Narcissus] "The bronze mirror is gone! My reflection! Give me back to me!"**

Thalia and a few others cringed.

**"Team Leo!" one of the nymphs squeaked.**

"She's my favorite." Leo smiled.

**But the others returned their attention to Narcissus.**

**"** _**I'm** _ **the beautiful one!" Narcissus insisted. "He's stolen my mirror, and I'm going to leave unless we get it back!"**

**The girls gasped. One pointed. "There!"**

**Hazel was at the top of the crater, running away as fast as she could while lugging a large sheet of bronze.**

Nico and Hades tensed.

**"Yes!" Narcissus unslung his bow and grabbed an arrow from his dusty quiver. "The first one who gets that bronze, I will like you** _**almost** _ **as much as I like me. I might even kiss you, right after I kiss my reflection!"**

A couple hunters gagged at this.

"Out of all the people who deserve a second chance in life, why did it _have_ to be him?" Phoebe said.

"Because Gaea has a sick sense of humor." Thalia stated.

**"And kill those demigods!" Narcissus added, glaring very handsomely at Leo. "They are** _**not** _ **as cool as me!"**

"You're right, We're cooler!" Leo said.

"Now's not the time, boy." Hephaestus said anxiously. tapping his foot. _  
_

"Sorry, I just wanted to add that in." the boy said. He grinned to himself. _Can't believe I didn't think of it before._

Leo rubbed his eyes. He was ignoring it for a while, but now they were particularly heavy.

_Seriously? I'm still tired? _he rolled his eyes and focused on the story. 

**Leo could run pretty fast when someone was trying to kill him. Sadly, he'd had a lot of practice.**

**He overtook Hazel, which was easy, since she was struggling with fifty pounds of Celestial bronze. He took one side of the metal plate and glanced back. Narcissus was nocking an arrow,** **but it was so old and brittle, it broke into splinters.**

The hunters broke out laughing.

"I knew it wasn't going to work!" Thalia said.

"He should've just went back to looking at his reflection." Phoebe giggled.

**"Ow!" he yelled very attractively. "My manicure!"**

"Get over it." Clarisse rolled her eyes.

"What does an attractive yell sound like?" Percy asked.

"When you hear Narcissus, you'll know." Leo said with a shrug.

**Normally nymphs were quick—at least the ones at Camp Half-Blood were—but these were burdened with posters, T-shirts, and other Narcissus™ merchandise.**

"Who made these?" Percy couldn't help but wonder.

**The nymphs also weren't great at working as a team...Echo made things worse by running among them, tripping and tackling as many as she could.**

"Go Echo!" Apollo cheered.

The hunters looked impressed with the nymph's persistence.

**..."Call Arion!" Leo gasped.**

**"Already did!" Hazel said.**

**They ran for the beach. They made it to the edge of the water and could see the** _**Argo II** _ **, but there was no way to get there. It was much too far to swim, even if they hadn't been toting bronze.**

**Leo turned. The mob was coming over the dunes,**

Nico tensed. _Hopefully Arion gets there soon._ **  
**

**Narcissus in the lead, holding his bow like a band major's baton.**

" _Please,_ just throw that thing away before you give yourself another splinter." Thalia rolled her eyes and scoffed.

**..."Oh, man," Leo muttered, summoning fire in his free hand. "Straight-up fighting isn't my thing."**

"I thought Arion was 'The Fastest Being on Land'..." Hades said impatiently. "Where is he?"

"He's on his way, don't rush him!" Demeter snapped.

**"Hold the Celestial bronze." Hazel drew her sword. "Get behind me!"**

**"Get behind me!" Echo repeated. The camouflaged girl was racing ahead of the mob now. She stopped in front of Leo and turned, spreading her arms as if she meant to personally shield him.**

"That was very brave of her..." Hestia said softly. _She deserves more than this._

**"Echo?" [Leo]... "You're one brave nymph."**

**"Brave nymph?" Her tone made it a question.**

**"I'm proud to have you on Team Leo," he said.**

"Awww!" Aphrodite cooed.

**"If we survive this, you should forget Narcissus."**

**"Forget Narcissus?" she said uncertainly.**

"Probably never considered it before." Lacy said sadly.

**"You're way too good for him."**

"No kidding, you've been brought back to life. There's so many things you can do now." Naomi sighed. "She shouldn't be wasting her time with _him."_

"He's going to go back to staring at himself." Celin grumbled.

**The nymphs surrounded them in a semicircle.**

**"Trickery!" Narcissus said. "They don't love me, girls!** _**We** _ **all love me, don't we?"**

"Is that a trick question?" Thalia said.

**"Yes!" the girls screamed, except for one confused nymph in a yellow dress who squeaked, "Team Leo!"**

"She's another member I'm proud to have on Team Leo." the son of Hephaestus smiled.

**"Kill them!" Narcissus ordered.**

Hephaestus, Nico, and Hades went rigid.

**The nymphs surged forward, but the sand in front of them exploded. Arion raced out of nowhere,** **circling the mob so quickly he created a sandstorm, showering the nymphs in white lime, spraying their eyes.**

"About time!" Hades snapped.

"At least he's there! Would you rather he be too late!" Demeter argued.

**...The nymphs collapsed, coughing and gagging. Narcissus stumbled around blindly, swinging his bow like he was trying to hit a piñata.**

A couple people laughed.

**Hazel climbed into the saddle, hoisted up the bronze, and offered Leo a hand.**

"But what about Echo?" Katie frowned.

**"We can't leave Echo!" Leo said.**

**"Leave Echo," the nymph repeated.**

**She smiled, and for the first time Leo could clearly see her face. She really was pretty. Her eyes were bluer than he'd realized. How had he missed that?**

"It's the curse..." Annabeth sighed.

**"Why?" Leo asked. "You don't think you can still save Narcissus..."**

**"Save Narcissus," she said confidently. And even though it was only an echo, Leo could tell that she meant it. She'd been given a second chance at life, and she was determined to use it to save the guy she loved—even if he was a completely hopeless (though very handsome) moron.**

Artemis couldn't help but admire the nymph's strong determination at doing something that seemed so hopeless.

Some of the hunters sighed in disappointment.

"This is in the future," Phoebe reminded them. "We can go see her after she comes back to life, and offer her a chance to be a hunter."

Her fellow sisters perked up at that.

**Leo wanted to protest, but Echo leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek** **then pushed him gently away.**

"It's too bad she likes Narcissus..." Aphrodite remarked sadly. _Lecho would've been cute._

**"Leo, come on!" Hazel called.**

**The other nymphs were starting to recover. They wiped the lime out of their eyes, which were now glowing green with anger. Leo looked for Echo again, but she had dissolved into the scenery.**

**"Yeah," he said, his throat dry. "Yeah, okay."**

**He climbed up behind Hazel. Arion took off across the water, the nymphs screaming behind them, and Narcissus shouting, "Bring me back! Bring me back!"**

"Echo's got a lot of work to do." Annabeth grimaced. _Seriously? What does she see in him?_

**As Arion raced toward the** _**Argo II** _ **, Leo remembered what Nemesis had said about Echo and Narcissus:** _**Perhaps they'll teach you a lesson.** _

**Leo had thought she'd meant Narcissus, but now he wondered if the real lesson for him was Echo—invisible to her brethren, cursed to love someone who didn't care for her.** _**A seventh wheel** _ **. He tried to shake that thought.**

"We would never treat you like how Narcissus and those nymphs treated Echo." Percy told him.

"I know, it's just hard to remember that sometimes..." Leo hesitantly admitted. He played with the buttons on his jacket.

"We'll keep reminding you until it sticks." Annabeth swore.

A few demigods nodded in agreement.

**He clung to the sheet of bronze like a shield. He was determined never to forget Echo's face. She deserved at least one person who saw her and knew how good she was. Leo closed his eyes, but the memory of her smile was already fading.**

"At least you can remember now." Katie tried to cheer up. "We have her description in the book."

Hestia beamed. "You're right!"

"We all can." Will said positively. 

Leo looked up and smiled.

He must have moved his head quicker than he thought. The room began to spin. Colors were swirling together. He felt like he was in a spin art machine. He thought he heard screaming (from Hephaestus?) but it was too hard to tell with it sounding so far away.

The last thing he thought before everything went black was:

_Way to kill the mood, Valdez._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's only one word to describe this chapter: Fun.


	9. Piper IX

Waking up to someone crying was already bad enough, but it was ten times worse when that person was Hazel Levesque.

When Leo opened his eyes, he found himself sitting in the ship's Mess Hall, surrounded by his six friends.

Percy was pacing back and forth. He reminded Leo of a caged tiger. His posture was tense as if he were ready for a fight and his expression was stony-faced. It was hard to picture that this was the same Percy Jackson he had been laughing with a couple minutes ago. How did he go from being so laid-back to _this?_

_Tartarus..._ Leo frowned. He looked over at the others.

Piper and Jason were huddled together, occasionally muttering something to each other. The son of Jupiter had his arm wrapped around her and Piper was leaning into him for comfort. Both seemed to have their minds on other things.

Annabeth was sitting down, leaning heavily on the table. She had rings under her eyes and her hair was barely staying together in her ponytail. She was giving her plate a scowl as if it was responsible for her problems. Leo felt his heart clench. He wondered when was the last time she went to sleep and if she did, how often was she woken up by nightmares?

Frank and Hazel were sitting next to him, with Hazel being in the middle. Frank looked like he was close to tears, but he tried to keep a brave face on as he rubbed soothing circles into Hazel's free hand.

Hazel's other hand was squeezing a wad of tissue. She was hiccupping, crying, and sniffling, all at the same time. If it wasn't for her deep gasps, Leo would've been worried she wasn't breathing. Her cheeks and nose were red. Her gold eyes were puffy and bloodshot. Leo winced at how distraught she looked.

_What happened?_ Leo wanted to ask, but found himself unable to speak.

Hazel coughed. Frank let go of her hand and was now rubbing her back.

"It's okay, take your time." he said softly. He quickly wiped away a stray tear from his cheek. "We'll wait 'til you're ready..."

It took a while, but Hazel finally calmed down enough to explain the situation.

"We were on the deck, talking about sparkling vampires," she sniffled. "When Nemesis came and said that Leo needed to repay her for using the fortune cookie-"

Percy turned to her.

"Fortune cookie?" he frowned.

"It was supposed to help him when he was in a situation he couldn't solve, but for a price." Hazel tearfully explained. She grabbed another tissue and dabbed her eyes. On the table, the silverware were being pulled toward her, as if she had some kind of gravitational force. "I don't know why he opened it, though. He didn't tell me. All I know is that after she told him it was time to pay, there was a bright light, and they were gone."

Hazel furiously blinked back tears. "I can't believe he would vanish again. This is the second time we lost him."

_I'm right here!_ Leo tried to yell, but remained silent.

She dropped her tissues on the table and brushed her hair back. "I can't sense him, so he isn't dead."

That seemed to relax the others.

"We'll find him." Frank promised. "He couldn't have gotten too far."

"I'm not worried about finding him," Hazel said, placing her hand on her cheek. "I'm worried about what Nemesis will do to him. She made her own son give up an eye! Who knows what kind of torture she's doing to poor Leo..."

Percy winced. The mood in the Mess Hall seemed to get darker.

Leo wished he could tell everyone not to worry about him.

Jason rubbed his tattoo and heaved a heavy sigh.

"Maybe we could land and search for him?" he suggested. "Or try to ask one of the gods? Hephaestus might not be in the best condition, but he could help."

"Maybe..." Annabeth agreed, still glaring at her plate. "It's worth a shot. I can't imagine where she would take him..."

Percy was pacing around the room again when he suddenly stopped. He looked at the live footage of Camp Half-Blood with a mixture of confusion and realization.

"Annabeth..." he said, still staring at the footage. The Stoll brothers were trying to hotwire the van and failing. "When's the first time you met Leo?"

The others frowned in confusion.

Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows.

"I met him at the Grand Can-" she froze, her eyes widening in surprise. She blinked multiple times before she shook her head. "No, wait..." She rubbed her temples. "I-I met him on Mount Olympus... We just beat the Titans. You denied godhood and made the gods promise to claim their kids... And suddenly, a bright light came and there was Leo..."

She narrowed her eyes, trying to concentrate. "But that's not what happened... We went-"

Annabeth winced, letting out a sharp cry. She lost her sense of balance and fell out of her chair.

Percy tried to run to her side, only to crumple on the ground.

The other demigods leapt on their feet. Leo tried to do the same, but was stuck to his chair.

He was helpless to do anything but watch as his friends rushed to the couple.

"What's happening?!" Piper exclaimed, grabbing Percy's shoulder.

The son of Poseidon was clutching his head and groaning in pain.

"My memories are changing..." he managed to ground out. "I'm remembering Leo on Olympus reading our thoughts..."

Despite feeling like his head was going to explode, Percy glanced at Annabeth and managed a smile.

"You think my lips taste salty?"

"Shut up!" she snapped, squeezing her eyes shut.

The couple yelled as they felt the pain suddenly spike.

"We should take them to the Infirmary." Jason said. The other three quickly nodded in agreement.

Jason and Frank hefted Percy over their shoulders, Piper and Hazel did the same for Annabeth. They were about to leave the Mess Hall, when suddenly the ship began to blur and sway like the whole thing was a mirage.

"Oh my gods..." Piper said nervously.

"What did Leo do?!" Frank exclaimed, eyes darting around the room.

The demigods backed into the table. The footage on the walls started to change. One minute it was showing Miranda Gardener yelling at the Stolls, the next they showed Nemesis sneering at them.

"Sorry to interrupt!" the goddess taunted. She was looking past the six and right into Leo's eyes. "But you've still got some reading to be catching up to!"

She snapped her fingers. The world trembled. Colors clashed. The last thing he heard before he blacked out was his friends screaming

* * *

Leo sprung up, panting for breath. Heart beating a mile a minute, he frantically looked around the room, searching for his friends.

"Woah!" a voice gasped. Leo's head snapped toward it.

Will was crouched next to him, hands up in surrender. Apollo (in his human size) was by Will's side, eyeing the son of Hephaestus with concern.

Leo was still panting, but he relaxed when he recognized them.

"Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?" Apollo gently asked.

"Demigod dream." he responded breathlessly, actually taking in his surroundings. He was still in the throne room, only sitting up on a cot with a thin blanket. The room was empty except the three of them.

"Where-" Leo stopped and swallowed. "Where is everyone?"

"Taking a break." Will said. "We decided to wait for you to wake up."

"Oh." the son of Hephaestus brushed his hair back, hand trembling as he did so.

"You said you had a demigod dream?" Apollo pressed. "What was it about?"

Leo grimaced. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about it, but at the same time, he needed to get this off his chest _now_.

"Bring the others in first." he replied, hands still shaking. He needed something to do. Leo sat on the side of the cot and started retying his shoelace. "It's better if I tell everyone at the same time."

Apollo nodded and went to get the others, his size growing bigger each step he took.

It didn't take long for the group to rush back.

They all looked like they had something they wanted to say to him (no doubt a lecture on better sleeping habits), but seeing the far-off look on his face, the readers decided to hold themselves back.

"How are you feeling?" Hephaestus asked, once everyone was seated.

"Fine." Leo said automatically. He got off the cot and started pacing back and forth, beating out flames on his arms. The others stiffened as they watched him move around so suddenly. A few warily followed his movements, bodies tensed like they were getting ready to catch him if he fell unconscious again.

He probably should've sat back down to ease their worries, but he felt too angsty to be still right now. His friends were in trouble and he just _watched_. He couldn't even tell them that he was there. It was common to not be able to do anything in a demigod dream, but it didn't stop him from feeling so worthless.

Walking in a circle, Leo told the others about his dream. As he recounted the events, the readers looked sad by the six's situation but, much to his shock, unsurprised.

"We _are_ trying to change the future." Annabeth reminded him. It was jarring to see her look so lively after his dream. "This was bound to happen sometime."

"I guess..." Leo scuffed the ground. "But I thought this was going to be an instant change, I didn't know it was going to be a gradual thing."

With a grimace, he wondered if Nemesis had something to do with that. She _had_ found a way to send him back in the past after all, she might've also did something to make the timeline altering as miserable as possible for everyone.

_Sounds like something she would do._ Leo thought, feeling a pang of guilt. _I should have never opened that fortune cookie. Everyone's suffering and it's my fault._

It was one thing to be reading his thoughts, but it was another to let his friends go through something like that.

Seeing his pained expression, Annabeth was quick to assure him.

"Leo, they're going to be fine." she said. "The only reason they're scared is because they don't know what's going on. They're not in any real danger."

"You're hurt." Leo told her.

"Only because we're remembering things." Percy stepped in. He gave Leo a strained grin. "It's no big deal, we're tougher than we look."

The son of Hephaestus was still hesitant.

"I dunno... Maybe we should stop doing this."

"It's too late to stop at this point, the changes have already begun." Hestia told him. "The best thing we can do is keep reading."

Leo wanted to argue. He wanted to insist that they send him back to his time period or better yet, pull out a few things and start making a device that'll let him speak to his friends. But the more he thought over what they said, the more he realized that the readers were right.

Even if he did manage to go into the future, he wouldn't be much of a help. Nemesis would just send him back anyway. Trying to contact them with a device wouldn't useful either. What was he supposed to say that they couldn't figure out already? He'd probably make them worry about him even more.

Right now, there were a couple things he could do that would really help: Finish the books and find the ingredients for the Physician's Cure.

He'd just have to trust that his friends could handle the trippy timeline.

Leo took a deep breath and nodded in agreement. He sat back down with the others.

After a moment of silence, Nyssa spoke up.

"I'll read the next chapter."

She picked up the book where Will dropped it and began to read.

" **Piper IX** ," Nyssa began.

_The faster we read this, the sooner the timeline stops altering._ Leo told himself. He fidgeted around. He wished he could be looking up the Physician's Cure while they were reading, but he couldn't bring any more attention on himself than he already did. He was still getting a few concerned looks, especially from Will and Hephaestus.

_You fall unconscious once, and now you're suddenly made of glass._ he resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

**Piper didn't want to use the knife.**

Members of Cabin Ten winced.

Thinking back to the images of Tristan McLean chained to a post, Aphrodite shuddered. _What did she see this time?_

She wrung her hands, already hating the answer.

**But sitting in Jason's cabin, waiting for him to wake up, she felt alone and helpless.**

Thalia winced. _He's still sleeping?_

**Jason's face was so pale, he might've been dead.**

_Com'on Jay, wake up._ the daughter of Zeus thought impatiently. _If you can survive looking at an immortal, you can handle getting hit by a brick._

**She remembered the awful sound of that brick hitting his forehead**

"Don't remind me." Thalia said with a wince.

**—an injury that had happened only because he'd tried to shield her from the Romans.**

"Don't blame yourself over it. You're not the one who threw that brick." Thalia huffed. _They better hope I don't find out who they are._

**...Piper couldn't be sure he would be okay when he woke up. What if he'd lost his memories again—but this time, his memories of** **_her?_ **

"The same thing can't happen again." Thalia frowned and turned to Will. "Right?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "I mean... it could... But I don't think it will."

Thalia's frown deepened.

"I'm sure he'll be fine." the son of Apollo tried to assure. "They've already given him ambrosia and nectar."

**That would be the cruelest trick the gods had played on her yet, and they'd played some pretty cruel tricks.**

"You're telling me!" Leo said, shooting the ceiling a dirty look. _There's a difference between punishment and torture, Nemesis!_

Grumbling under his breath, he went through his tool belt.

**She heard Gleeson Hedge in his room next door, humming a military song—"Stars and Stripes Forever," maybe?...He wasn't a bad chaperone, but he was definitely the most warlike old goat Piper had ever met.**

_I don't think I'll ever meet another satyr who likes to fight as much as Coach Hedge._ Grover thought.

"He's one of a kind." Clarisse said with a grin.

**... A few weeks ago, Hedge had asked his girlfriend, Mellie, to take charge of the McLean household so he could come along to help with this quest.**

**Coach Hedge had tried to make it sound like returning to Camp Half-Blood had been all his idea, but Piper suspected there was more to it. The last few weeks, whenever Piper called home, her dad and Mellie had asked her what was wrong. Maybe something in her voice had tipped them off.**

"Her father probably sent Coach Hedge back to camp to make sure Piper was okay." Hestia said.

Leo played with a tape measurer.

**Piper couldn't share the visions she'd seen. They were too disturbing.**

Aphrodite and the other readers stiffened.

"How can this quest get any worse?" Annabeth grimaced.

**...But he could still tell when she was upset, and she was pretty sure her dad had encouraged Coach to look out for her.**

**She shouldn't draw her blade. It would only make her feel worse.**

**Finally the temptation was too great. She unsheathed Katoptris.**

There was tension in the air.

The readers held their breaths as they waited to hear what was in the reflection.

**...light rippled across the metal. She saw a crowd of Roman demigods gathered in the forum. The blond scarecrow-looking kid, Octavian, was speaking to the mob, shaking his fist. Piper couldn't hear him, but the gist was obvious:** **_We need to kill those Greeks!_ **

_I can't believe the Romans actually take this guy seriously._ Clarisse snorted.

"How inspiring." Apollo rolled his eyes. "He's the descendent of the god of _poetry_ , and that's it?"

"That's what Piper summed up." Artemis reminded. "He could've been saying a whole speech."

"Still..." the god said, not looking impressed.

"Why is everybody always out to kill us? Can't we just talk it out over some blue candy and work together for once?" Percy groaned.

"Life's not that easy." Poseidon said with a sigh.

**Reyna, the praetor, stood to one side, her face tight with suppressed emotion. Bitterness? Anger? Piper wasn't sure.**

"At least Reyna doesn't look happy about it." Annabeth said. _There has to be a way we can work past this._

**She'd been prepared to hate Reyna, but she couldn't. During the feast in the forum, Piper had admired the way Reyna kept her feelings in check.**

"Yeah, she's not as bad as I thought she would be..." Lacy mused. "I thought she was going to accuse Piper for stealing Jason or something. But she didn't even talk to her."

"It's not like they had enough time to." Leo said with a frown.

**Reyna had sized up Piper and Jason's relationship right away. As a daughter of Aphrodite, Piper could tell stuff like that. Yet Reyna had stayed polite and in control. She'd put her camp's needs ahead of her emotions. She'd given the Greeks a fair chance...right up until the Argo II had started destroying her city.**

Leo winced.

**...Maybe Reyna wasn't so bad, but it didn't matter now. They'd messed up the chance for peace. Piper's power of persuasion had, for once, done absolutely no good.**

Aphrodite frowned at that.

"It's nobody's fault." Annabeth said firmly, glancing at Leo as she said this. "We'll fix this."

**...Piper had never wanted to make friends with the Romans.**

Athena nodded her head in approval. _As you should._

The demigods blinked in surprise, even Leo looked shocked by this revelation.

"What?" Lacy said, shoulders slumping in disappointment. "Did she think it wouldn't work?"

"No, it has to be something else." Leo defended with a frown. _Probably has something to do with Jason's memories..._

**She was too worried about losing Jason to his old life.**

Leo sighed. _Yup._

Most of the demigods still didn't look to happy, but chose to let it go. They hadn't been too eager with the idea of working with the Romans either.

**...Now Jason was hurt. The ship had been almost destroyed. And according to her dagger, that crazy teddy-bear-strangling kid, Octavian, was whipping the Romans into a war frenzy.**

A few people sighed.

"It's already bad enough they want to have a war against the Greeks, why did they have _him_ be the leader?" Apollo grumbled.

**The scene in her blade shifted. There was a rapid series of images she'd seen before, but she still didn't understand them:**

Annabeth leaned forward.

**Jason riding into battle on horseback, his eyes gold instead of blue;**

Thalia frowned. "Gold? Is that because of the reflection? Or something else?"

"I don't know..." Annabeth said. "The last time his eyes turned gold, was when Piper brought him back to life. But I don't think the same thing's happening here."

She played with the college ring on her necklace. _Doesn't sound like he's possessed. Leo's eyes were glazed, not gold..._

Annabeth didn't have time to ponder on the description, she was forced to move on as Nyssa continued reading.

**a woman in an old-fashioned Southern belle dress, standing in an oceanside park with palm trees;**

Annabeth resisted the urge to sigh. _That's it? Com'on Piper, can you give us more details? I know the images are going by fast, but that woman could've been anyone._

**a bull with the face of a bearded man, rising out of a river;**

The demigods frowned in confusion.

"A bull with the face of a bearded man?" Travis repeated. "Is that some kind of riddle?"

"Could be a minotaur." Percy suggested.

"But what's it doing in the water?" Chris asked.

The son of Poseidon shrugged. "I dunno... Taking a bath?"

**and two giants in matching yellow togas, hoisting a rope on a pulley system, lifting a large bronze vase out of a pit.**

_Why them?_ Dionysus rolled his eyes in annoyance. _Now those brats are going to want my help._

The god of wine scowled and buried his face in his magazine.

_Really? Them?_ Ares shuddered. His mind flashed back to the months he spent trapped in that cramped space.

Seeing her boyfriend's face pale, Aphrodite rested her head on his shoulder and gave his hand a comforting pat. "It's okay. I'm sure you're not in there, it has to be somebody else."

"Yeah..." he breathed, biting his lip. He noticed the others, particularly Clarisse, staring at him. The god sat up straighter and puffed out his chest. " _Yeah!_ Of course it's not me! If they ever tried to capture me again, I'd rip their throats out!"

" _Oh my!"_ the goddess gasped, humoring him. "But won't that be hard? There's two of them!"

" _Please,"_ Ares said dismissively. "They're just a couple of School Drama Club rejects, the only reason they caught me the first time was because I was caught off guard. Even if they _tried_ to put me in a jar, I'd just shatter it with _these._ "

The god flexed his arm.

Aphrodite giggled and felt his muscles.

Hephaestus gave the two a heated glare.

The other gods just rolled their eyes at the two's antics.

"You're welcome, by the way." Hermes said sarcastically.

**Then came the worst vision:**

"There's more?" Chris groaned.

**she saw herself with Jason and Percy, standing waist-deep in water at the bottom of a dark circular chamber, like a giant well.**

Percy frowned.

Poseidon grimaced. _Why does the worst vision have to involve my son?_

**Ghostly shapes moved through the water as it rose rapidly.**

_What are those supposed to be?_ Annabeth wondered. _Monsters? Or are they ghosts like the eidolons?_

**Piper clawed at the walls, trying to escape, but there was nowhere to go. The water reached their chests.**

The readers tensed.

**Jason was pulled under.**

_Just a vision._ Thalia reminded herself, forcing her body to relax.

**Percy stumbled and disappeared.**

Poseidon's body went rigid.

Annabeth's breath hitched.

"I'll be fine." Percy assured them. "Whatever it is, I can handle it. The water's my element."

**How could a child of the sea god drown?**

Percy nervously laughed. "I can't. It's basically impossible."

**Piper didn't know, but she watched herself in the vision, alone and thrashing in the dark, until the water rose over her head.**

Aphrodite shuddered.

"Is the vision over yet?" Lacy whimpered.

**...She forced herself to look at the blade again.**

**This time, she saw an empty highway cutting between fields of wheat and sunflowers.**

The readers relaxed, but exchanged confused looks.

**A mileage marker read: TOPEKA 32. On the shoulder of the road stood a man in khaki shorts and a purple camp shirt. His face was lost in the shadow of a broad hat, the brim wreathed in leafy vines. He held up a silver goblet and beckoned to Piper.**

Dionysus dropped his magazine and clutched his head in pain.

_Great! Of course they'd come to_ _him_ _for help!_ the god thought sarcastically, grinding his teeth together.

"I guess we know who it is." Percy muttered to Annabeth, watching the god of wine try to maintain his form.

"Yup." she agreed with a sigh. _I can't believe we actually have to turn to him for help._

**Somehow she knew he was offering her some sort of gift—a cure, or an antidote.**

Annabeth blinked in confusion. _A cure for what? Why would we need that?_

**"Hey," Jason croaked.**

" _Thank the gods,"_ Thalia sighed with relief. _Any longer and I would've thought he was in a coma._

**Piper was so startled she dropped the knife. "You're awake!"**

**"Don't sound so surprised." Jason touched his bandaged head and frowned. "What...what happened? I remember the explosions, and—"**

"It's probably better you don't know. Unless you know the name of who threw that brick." Thalia scowled. Her fingers were itching to notch her bow.

**"You remember who I am?"**

**Jason tried to laugh, but it turned into a painful wince. "Last I checked, you were my awesome girlfriend Piper. Unless something has changed since I was out?"**

" _Aaaawww!"_ the girls from Cabin Ten cooed.

Aphrodite giggled.

"Smooth one, Jay." Thalia playfully rolled her eyes.

**...She helped him sit up and gave him some nectar to sip while she brought him up to speed...**

**Moments later, Leo and Hazel stumbled to a stop in the doorway, carrying a large sheet of hammered bronze between them.**

**"Gods of Olympus." Piper stared at Leo. "What happened to** **_you_ ** **?"**

"Nothing much, nearly got mauled by killer fan girls. Ya'know, the usual." Leo casually replied, pulling the measuring tape out of its container before letting go.

The tape zoomed back in its rightful place.

"Don't even joke about that." Hephaestus frowned.

**..."Long story," he said. "Others back?"**

**"Not yet," Piper said.**

Annabeth and Percy frowned.

"What's taking us so long?" the son of Poseidon said. "We were just getting tar."

"And Leo and Hazel were just getting Celestial bronze." Annabeth reminded. "Who knows what kind of trouble we ran into."

She sighed. "I just hope we make it back in time."

**Leo cursed. Then he noticed Jason sitting up, and his face brightened. "Hey, man! Glad you're better. I'll be in the engine room."**

**He ran off with the sheet of bronze, leaving Hazel in the doorway.**

"You're not even going to tell them about what happened with Narcissus?" Connor whined.

"I tell them later." Leo told him.

**...On the deck above, something went THUMP, as if a heavy creature had landed. Annabeth and Percy came running down the hall.**

"Finally." Annabeth sighed with relief.

**Percy was toting a steaming five-gallon plastic bucket that smelled horrible. Annabeth had a patch of black sticky stuff in her hair.**

The daughter of Athena winced. That was going to be a pain to get out.

**...Frank stumbled up behind them, which made the hallway pretty jam-packed with demigods. Frank had a big smear of the black sludge down his face.**

A few readers winced.

"I hope that didn't burn." Hestia said sympathetically.

**"Ran into some tar monsters," Annabeth said.**

"Seriously? We can't even get materials without running into monsters." Percy groaned.

"We'll save you the search and make sure the ship's stocked with building materials." Nyssa promised.

"Maybe we can put the extra materials in where the stables supposed to go?" Jake considered.

**"Hey, Jason, glad you're awake. Hazel, where's Leo?"**

**She pointed down. "Engine room."**

**Suddenly the entire ship listed to port. The demigods stumbled. Percy almost spilled his bucket of tar.**

The readers tensed.

"What is that?" Katie asked.

They turned to Leo, who sheepishly smiled back.

"The killer fan girls." he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

" _Perfect._ At least they're not the tar monsters." Annabeth grumbled.

**...The three of them ran off, leaving Hazel at the cabin door. The ship listed again, and Hazel hugged her stomach like she was going to be sick.**

"She gets seasick." Nico explained when the others looked confused.

Will winced sympathetically. "That's rough."

**"I'll just..." She swallowed, pointed weakly down the passageway, and ran off.**

**Jason and Piper stayed below as the ship rocked back and forth. For a hero, Piper felt pretty useless.**

The readers and Leo frowned at this.

"I mean there wasn't much you had to do. We had the situation under control." the son of Hephaestus said.

**Waves crashed against the hull as angry voices came from above deck—Percy shouting, Coach Hedge yelling at the lake. Festus the figurehead breathed fire several times. Down the hall, Hazel moaned miserably in her cabin.**

"Hang in there." Nico muttered.

**...After what seemed like hours, the engine began to hum. The oars creaked and groaned, and Piper felt the ship lift into the air.**

A couple people sighed with relief.

"Is the ship fixed?" Lacy asked.

"Not yet, I still need to do more repairs on the ship." Leo said.

The demigods resisted the urge to groan in complaint.

**...Finally Leo emerged from the engine room. He was caked in sweat, lime dust, and tar. His T-shirt looked like it had been caught in an escalator and chewed to shreds. The TEAM LEO on his chest now read: AM LEO. But he grinned like a madman and announced that they were safely under way.**

**"Meeting in the mess hall, one hour," he said. "Crazy day, huh?"**

"Underestimate of the year." Annabeth said. _The quest just started and everything's already a mess..._

**After everyone had cleaned up, Coach Hedge took the helm and the demigods gathered below for dinner. It was the first time they'd all sat down together—just the seven of them. Maybe their presence should've reassured Piper, but seeing all of them in one place only reminded her that the Prophecy of Seven was unfolding at last...They were under way, with a bunch of angry Romans behind them and the ancient lands ahead. The giants would be waiting. Gaea was rising. And unless they succeeded in this quest, the world would be destroyed.**

"No big deal. We've dealt with something like this before. Only smaller." Percy tried to say lightheartedly.

His comment was met with uneasy smiles and unimpressed glances.

**The others must've felt it too. The tension in the mess hall was like an electrical storm brewing, which was totally possible, considering Percy's and Jason's powers. In an awkward moment, the two boys tried to sit in the same chair at the head of the table. Sparks literally flew from Jason's hands. After a brief silent standoff, like they were both thinking, Seriously, dude?,**

"Oh my gods, are you serious? You guys are really fighting over a chair?" Thalia said. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she let out a sigh.

"I don't know why." Percy frowned. "I don't usually fight over little things like that..."

"It's common for children of Zeus (or in this case, Jupiter) and Poseidon to have some form of rivalry." Annabeth said, crossing her arms. "I had a feeling this was going to happen, but I didn't think it would be over something so dumb."

"They usually have these little macho contests, but they don't go beyond this." Leo told them.

Thalia rolled her eyes. " _Great,_ there's going to be more pointless arguments. What do you guys fight about next? Who eats the last pancake? Who deals the finishing blow on the monster? Who leaves the Mess Hall first?"

"Whatever it is, I'm probably going to have to break it up..." Annabeth rolled her eyes. _The things I do to save the world... I just hope these fights aren't too frequent..._

**they ceded the chair to Annabeth and sat at opposite sides of the table.**

"Yup." Annabeth said, looking unsurprised.

"Figures, it'd end up like that." Thalia grinned.

**The crew compared notes on what had happened in Salt Lake City, but even Leo's ridiculous story about how he tricked Narcissus wasn't enough to cheer up the group.**

"Really?" Connor said, eyes wide in surprise. "That would've cheered me up."

"Sometimes you have to be there to really enjoy it." Leo said with a shrug.

**"So where to now?" Leo asked with a mouthful of pizza. "I did a quick repair job to get us out of the lake, but there's still a lot of damage. We should really put down again and fix things right before we head across the Atlantic."**

"Well, Piper's vision mentioned Topeka. We can stop there and look for Mr. D while Leo does repairs." Annabeth suggested.

"Sounds good." Percy nodded.

**Percy was eating a piece of pie, which for some reason was completely blue—filling, crust, even the whipped cream.**

Poseidon smiled fondly at his son.

With a confused frown, Leo turned to Percy.

"I never asked. Why do you eat blue food? I get that it's your favorite color, but my favorite's red and you don't see me eating only red food."

"It reminds me of home." Percy explained. "Mom would always bake me blue cookies or get me blue candy from her old job. At this point it's a running joke between us."

"Oh." Leo said, unsure what to think about this revelation. He was expecting some kind of silly answer like 'it tastes better' or something frustrating like 'why not?' He was not prepared to know something so personal. It was almost overwhelming.

He shifted uncomfortably, unsure what to say next. Should he try to share his own personal story? But what would he say? Thankfully he didn't have to say anything, Percy just smiled and turned his attention back to the book.

**"We need to put some distance between us and Camp Jupiter," he said. "Frank spotted some eagles over Salt Lake City. We figure the Romans aren't far behind us."**

"There has to be some way you can throw them off your trail..." Will frowned. "Maybe you can make some kind of diversion or something."

Leo smirked at that. "Maybe."

**That didn't improve the mood around the table. Piper didn't want to say anything, but she felt obliged...and a little guilty. "I don't suppose we should go back and try to reason with the Romans? Maybe—maybe I didn't try hard enough with the charmspeak."**

Aphrodite and Cabin Ten frowned.

"There was nothing you can do." Annabeth said. "The Romans wouldn't have trusted us if we tried using charmspeak in the first place."

"Reyna would've probably saw it as a trick." Nico said.

**Jason took her hand. "It wasn't your fault, Pipes. Or Leo's," he added quickly. "Whatever happened, it was Gaea's doing, to drive the two camps apart."**

**[Piper]... "Maybe if we could explain that, though—"**

"You can't without proof." Nico sighed. "Besides, the Romans are too bent of payback to take any form of evidence as real anyways."

"We really blew it this time." Percy grimaced.

" _Gaea_ messed things up." Annabeth firmly reminded. "We did the best we could do in the situation. Besides, we can fix the problem now."

**"With no proof?" Annabeth asked. "And no idea what really happened? I appreciate what you're saying, Piper. I don't want the Romans on our bad side, but until we understand what Gaea's up to, going back is suicide."**

**"She's right," Hazel said. She still looked a little queasy from seasickness, but she was trying to eat a few saltine crackers. The rim of her plate was embedded with rubies, and Piper was pretty sure they  hadn't been there at the beginning of the meal.**

"How is everybody so calm about that?" Travis said in awe. "If they weren't cursed, I would've already tried to sneak that in my back pocket."

"Of course you would." Katie rolled her eyes. "Only you'd be dumb enough to try to sneak a _plate_ inside your back pocket."

His ears turning red, Travis glared at her.

"You knew what I meant!" he hissed.

As the two started bickering, Nyssa just read over them as if no one was speaking.

**...She thought about the visions she'd seen in her knife: Jason with golden eyes; the bull with the human head;**

"That sounds so weird... What kind of monster would that be? It sounds like a minotaur, but the human head keeps throwing me off..." Annabeth muttered.

**the two giants in yellow togas hoisting a bronze jar from a pit. Worst of all, she remembered herself drowning in black water.**

Aphrodite shivered.

**Piper had always liked the water. She had good memories of surfing with her dad. But since she'd started seeing that vision in Katoptris, she'd been thinking more and more of an old Cherokee story her granddad used to tell to keep her away from the river near his cabin. He told her the Cherokees believed in good water spirits, like the naiads of the Greeks; but they also believed in evil water spirits, the water cannibals, who hunted mortals with invisible arrows and were especially fond of drowning small children.**

"What a happy thought..." Nyssa said sarcastically with a grimace.

"The whatever's in the water isn't going to hurt us. I'll... I'll do something about it." Percy said as confidently as he could.

**"You're right," she decided. "We have to keep going. Not just because of the Romans. We have to hurry."**

**Hazel nodded. "Nemesis said we have only six days until Nico dies and Rome is destroyed."**

Nico let out a shaky sigh.

Hades gave his son a concerned glance.

Will bit his lip.

**Jason frowned. "You mean** **_Rome_ ** **Rome, not New Rome?"**

"Obviously." Clarisse rolled her eyes.

**..."Why six days?" Percy wondered. "And how are they going to destroy Rome?"**

"Let's hope we don't find out." Zeus said.

**..."There's more," she said. "I've been seeing some things in my knife."**

**The big kid, Frank, froze with a forkful of spaghetti halfway to his mouth. "Things such as... ?"**

**"They don't really make sense," Piper said, "just garbled images, but I saw two giants, dressed alike. Maybe twins."**

**"Twins, like in Ella's prophecy," Annabeth said. "If we could figure out those lines, it might help."**

"Right!" Annabeth exclaimed, kicking herself for not remembering sooner. _Seriously? How could I forget something so important!_

**_"Wisdom's daughter walks alone,"_ ** **Percy said. "** **_The Mark of Athena burns through Rome._ ** **Annabeth, that's got to mean you. Juno told me...well, she said you had a hard task ahead of you in Rome. She said she doubted you could do it.**

Annabeth scowled. There was a fire in her eyes that made Percy feel nervous. _Oh she does, does she? Well, I'll just prove her wrong!_

"Probably shouldn't have said that." he muttered under his breath. _Seriously, what was I thinking? Did I forget how Annabeth feels about Hera?_

**But I know she's wrong."**

"Of course she is." Annabeth said, giving the goddess a glare. "I will follow the Mark of Athena, and be successful."

Hera scoffed.

"Fool, you don't even know what you're looking for." she sneered. "I almost pity you. You're on a suicide mission, yet you're determined to do it just to prove me wrong."

The goddess let out a small laugh. "Your pride will truly be your downfall!"

"We'll see about that!" Annabeth huffed. "My mother chose me for a reason, she must think I have what it takes."

Athena smiled. "Yes, I do. You will prove everyone wrong, follow the mark. Avenge me!"

Her daughter hesitated at that, seemingly just remembering what she was agreeing to do.

"Annabeth," Percy muttered to her. "Do you really think you can do it?"

Trying not to look as uneasy as she felt, she shrugged. "I'll be fine. I have to do it anyway. If I bring back whatever Mother's talking about, she'll go back to normal. It might even fix the rift between Greeks and Romans."

"You're right." Percy frowned. "But I still don't like it." _Especially that opening line: 'Wisdom's daughter walks alone'..._

**Annabeth took a long breath. "Reyna was about to tell me something right before the ship fired on us. She said there was an old legend among the Roman praetors—something that had to do with Athena. She said it might be the reason Greeks and Romans could never get along."**

**..."Nemesis mentioned something similar," Leo said. "She talked about an old score that had to be settled—"**

**"The one thing that might bring the gods' two natures into harmony," Hazel recalled. "'An old wrong finally avenged.'"**

_Finally._ Athena thought in agreement.

**Percy drew a frowny face in his blue whipped cream. "I was only a praetor for about two hours. Jason, you ever hear a legend like that?"  
**

**Jason was still holding Piper's hand. His fingers had turned clammy.**

Annabeth frowned. _What's he so nervous about?_

**"I...uh, I'm not sure," he said. "I'll give it some thought."**

The daughter of Athena narrowed her eyes. _Why would he be lying? Aren't we a team?_

She tried to push away the feelings of doubt.

Thalia gave the book a disapproving frown. _Jay, if you know something that might help. Say it._

**Percy narrowed his eyes. "You're not _sure_?"**

**Jason didn't respond. Piper wanted to ask him what was wrong. She could tell he didn't want to discuss this old legend. She caught his eye, and he pleaded silently, _Later_.  
**

_I hope he doesn't tell that to just Piper. _Annabeth thought with a flare of annoyance.

**Hazel broke the silence. "What about the other lines?" She turned her ruby-encrusted plate. " _Twins snuff out the angel's breath, Who holds the key to endless death."_**

"Angel's breath..." Annabeth thought back to the jar and the twins. _That must be what this line was referring to, right? But that would mean that the person inside of it would be..._

Her eyes widened, she turned to the son of Hades.

Having a feeling what she was thinking, Nico grimaced back.

"You think I'm the one inside the jar?" he guessed.

"I think so..." Annabeth confirmed. "It's the only place I can think of where they would put you."

"But why would they do it?" Will worriedly frowned. "And wouldn't he suffocate in there?"

 "I have six days left, they must be doing something to keep me alive. Probably because they want their bait fresh..." the son of Hades sighed. _This has the words 'trap' written all over it._

"Don't say that!" Will looked horrified.

"We'll save you before it's too late." Percy swore.

_I think it is already too late._ Nico thought grimly. He couldn't help but think of the words 'snuff out'. What if he died before the six days were over? He _was_ slowly suffocating after all...

Nico bit his lip.

**" _Giants' bane stands gold and pale,_ " Frank added, " _Won through pain from a woven jail._ " _  
_**

**"Giants' bane," Leo said. "Anything that's a giants' bane is good for us, right? That's probably what we need to find.**

"But what is it and where do we find it?" Annabeth frowned. "We know it's in some kind of 'woven jail', but that doesn't clear up much."

**If it can help the gods get their schizophrenic act together, that's good."**

**Percy nodded. "We can't kill the giants without the help of the gods."  
**

**Jason turned to Frank and Hazel. "I thought you guys killed that one giant in Alaska without a god's help, just the two of you."  
**

**"Alcyoneus was a special case," Frank said. "He was only immortal in the territory where he was reborn—Alaska. But not in Canada. I wish I could kill _all_ the giants by dragging them across the border from Alaska into Canada, but..." He shrugged. "Percy's right, we'll need the gods."  
**

**Piper gazed at the walls. She really wished Leo hadn't enchanted them with images of Camp Half-Blood. It was like a doorway to home that she could never go through.**

**She watched the hearth of Hestia burning in the middle of the green as the cabins turned off their lights for curfew. She wondered how the Roman demigods, Frank and Hazel, felt about those images.**

"They're probably surprised with how small we are..." Mitchell remarked. _I still can't believe they have an entire city..._

**They'd never even been to Camp Half-Blood. Did it seem alien to them, or unfair that Camp Jupiter wasn't represented? Did it make them miss their own home?  
**

Leo frowned. "I didn't think about that. I thought they would be interested to see what Camp Half-Blood looks like."

**The other lines of the prophecy turned in Piper's mind. What was a woven jail? How could twins snuff out an angel's breath? The key to endless death didn't sound very cheerful, either.**

**"So..." Leo pushed his chair away from the table. "First things first, I guess. We'll have to put down in the morning to finish repairs."**

**"Someplace close to a city," Annabeth suggested, "in case we need supplies. But somewhere out of the way, so the Romans will have trouble finding us. Any ideas?"**

**No one spoke. Piper remembered her vision in the knife: the strange man in purple, holding out a goblet and beckoning to her. He'd been standing in front of a sign that read TOPEKA 32.**

**"Well," she ventured, "how do you guys feel about Kansas?"**

"Finished." Nyssa said.

"I'll read next," Phoebe said, taking the book.

" **Piper X** ,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! :)


	10. Piper X

" **Piper X** ," Phoebe read.

**Piper had trouble falling asleep.**

Aphrodite worriedly frowned. _Don't tell me it's because of a demigod dream..._

**Coach Hedge spent the first hour after curfew doing his nightly duty, walking up and down the passageway yelling, "Lights out! Settle down! Try to sneak out, and I'll smack you back to Long Island!"**

"He's like that every single night..." Leo groaned. _I think he got worse after the whole Stables situation._

Percy frowned. "That's kinda... extreme... Why would we want to sneak out in the first place?"

 _You tell me._ Leo almost joked, before he stopped himself. Instead, he bit his lip to keep himself from snickering.

**He banged his baseball bat against a cabin door whenever he heard a noise, shouting at everyone to go to sleep, which made it impossible for anyone to go to sleep.**

"He has to prove he's the chaperone somehow." Leo commented, putting his measuring tape back in his tool belt. "I guess this is his way of doing it."

"How are you guys even able to sleep through that?" Katie asked.

"He stops eventually." he responded with a shrug.

 _How long is eventually?_ Will silently wondered.

**....She stared at the bronze beams on the ceiling. Her cabin was pretty cozy. Leo had programmed their quarters to adjust automatically to the occupant's preferred temperature, so it was never too cold or too hot.**

"Nice touch," Jake remarked. "Saves everyone from fighting over the thermostat and helps with a good night sleep."

"Thanks! I figured if these were going to be our rooms for a while, might as well make it comfortable as possible." Leo explained, rolling his sleeves up.

**The mattress and the pillows were stuffed with pegasus down (no pegasi were harmed in the making of these products, Leo had assured her), so they were über-comfortable. A bronze lantern hung from the ceiling, glowing at whatever brightness Piper wished. The lantern's sides were perforated with pinholes, so at night glimmering constellations drifted across her walls.**

"I swear, one of my many hidden talents is home designing." Leo said with a grin.

**...Finally her eyelids got heavy, and she drifted off. It seemed like only a few seconds had passed before she woke to the breakfast bell.**

"Great, no demigod dreams!" Aphrodite said with a sigh of relief.

**"Yo, Piper!" Leo knocked on her door. "We're landing!"**

**"Landing?" She sat up groggily.**

**Leo opened her door and poked his head in. He had his hand over his eyes, which would've been a nice gesture if he hadn't been peeking through his fingers. "You decent?"**

Artemis and the hunters glared daggers at the boy.

"Leo Valdez!" Katie scolded.

"Sorry!"

**"Leo!"**

**"Sorry." He grinned. "Hey, nice Power Ranger jammies."**

Will blinked in surprise. _Power Rangers... Huh. Haven't heard that name in a while. I used to love that show..._

He remembered having the toys and never missing the shows on Saturday mornings.

 _I never thought Piper was a Power Rangers fan._ he thought.

**"They are not Power Rangers! They're Cherokee eagles!"**

_I guess not._ Will frowned. "How could you confuse Cherokee eagles with Power Rangers?"

Leo frowned with him. "I don't remember the name, but didn't the show have some kind of eagle that turned into a giant head?"

"Eagle that turns into a..." Will's face brightened. " _Oh!_ The Yellow Eagle Wildzord!"

" _Yeah!"_ Leo excitedly recalled. "From Power Rangers Wild Force!"

The two shared huge smiles.

"That show was the best." the son of Apollo said with a nostalgic sigh. "It ended too soon. It didn't even have a second season..."

"It was fun while it lasted," the other grinned. "The cheesy acting was so bad it was hilarious."

"That was nothing compared to how bad the fight scenes were!" Will laughed.

Eyebrows furrowed, Nico watched as the two eagerly talked about episodes and certain characters on the show.

"What are you talking about?" he finally asked. "What's Power Rangers?"

His last question was met with surprised looks from the two.

"You've _never_ heard about Power Rangers before?" Will gasped.

"You haven't even seen the reruns?" Leo asked incredulously.

"Sorry, they didn't show Power Rangers reruns at the Lotus Hotel." Nico said dryly.

Leo was still frowning in confusion, but Will sheepishly smiled.

"Oh, right." he said apologetically. "Power Rangers is a live-action superhero T.V. series. It's basically about teenagers saving the world from monsters. Each season has a different theme and group of superheroes, the one we're talking about has a jungle theme."

Will grinned. "You would like it. It's kinda dumb, but it's harmless fun." His smile became softer. "We should watch it together."

Nico owlishly blinked at him. For a moment the two stared at each other, with one smiling shyly and other looking like he was given a pop quiz. 

Until Leo spoke up.

"That's a good idea, I haven't seen Power Rangers in ages! It'll be fun to watch it as a group, we can make it a Guys' Night Out! I know!" he snapped his fingers. "We can take a laptop from Bunker 9 and hook it up to the T.V. in the Big House. We'll marathon the whole season tonight and... er... uh..." Leo faltered at Will's expression. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Like what?" Will said tightly. He tried to relax his face, but he still had a pinched expression.

 _Like Piper, whenever I walk in on her and Jason._ Leo thought. _And Percy, whenever I want to talk to Annabeth about ship maintenance. And Frank, whenever I was even close to Hazel._

He suddenly thought back to the times when Will defended Nico, and his reactions to Nico's capture. Sure everyone was upset about him disappearing, but nobody except Hades reacted the way Will had, especially when Nico basically told Percy to not save him. He recalled the moment Will winked at the son of Hades. Leo thought the boy was just teasing the other, but now it became clear he had been flirting.

Leo wanted to kick himself for missing something so obvious.

 _You'd think I'd know all the signs by now! I've been third wheeling around enough couples, I should know when plans are being made without me in the picture._ the son of Hephaestus inwardly groaned. _But how was I supposed to know that Will likes Nico? Not even Nico knows._

"That sounds nice." Nico said, snapping him out of his thoughts. The son of Hades looked relieved, but a bit frustrated (Leo hoped it wasn't with him). "It'll be good to just hang out and watch something after this."

"Yeah," Will said flatly. "Just the _three_ of us."

Leo cringed. Before it wouldn't have sounded so bad, but now it sounded awkward.

 _Okay, I can fix this._ he assured himself. _I can just set up for them, say I gotta go somewhere, and just never come back. Easy._

He gave Will an apologetic smile as Phoebe read on.

**"Yeah, sure. Anyway, we're setting down a few miles outside Topeka, as requested. And, um..."He glanced out in the passageway, then leaned inside again. "Thanks for not hating me, about blowing up the Romans yesterday."**

"She wouldn't hate you for that." Lacy frowned. "You didn't have control over it."

**Piper rubbed her eyes. The feast in New Rome had been only yesterday? "That's okay, Leo. You weren't in control of yourself."**

Some of the demigods nodded their heads in approval.

**"Yeah, but still...you didn't have to stick up for me."**

**"Are you kidding? You're like the annoying little brother I never had. Of course I'll stick up for you."**

Hephaestus and Aphrodite shared a brief smile.

Leo playfully rolled his eyes. " _Gee_ , thanks."

**From above, Coach Hedge yelled, "Thar she blows! Kansas, ahoy!"**

Poseidon cringed. "Was he trying to sound like a pirate?"

"I don't know what he was trying to do." Leo admitted, brushing his hair back. "And it doesn't get any better."

**"Holy Hephaestus," Leo muttered. "He really needs to work on his shipspeak. I'd better get abovedeck."**

**By the time Piper had showered, changed, and grabbed a bagel from the mess hall, she could hear the ship's landing gear extending. She climbed on deck and joined the others as the Argo II settled in the middle of a field of sunflowers. The oars retracted. The gangplank lowered itself.**

**The morning air smelled of irrigation, warm plants, and fertilized earth. Not a bad smell.**

"Indeed." Demeter agreed with a happy sigh.

**...Percy was the first to notice her. He smiled in greeting, which for some reason surprised Piper.**

Percy's shoulders slumped. "What? How is that surprising? Don't tell me Piper thinks I'm scary too..."

The son of Poseidon frowned. _How much did I change while staying at Camp Jupiter?_

**He was wearing faded jeans and a fresh orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, as if he'd never been away from the Greek side.**

Relaxing a bit, Percy smiled.

The other demigods smiled with him.

"It suits you better than that bed sheet did." Connor remarked, earning a few nods in agreement.

"Yeah, I can't even imagine you in a suite and tie, much less a toga." Chris commented.

**The new clothes had probably helped his mood—and of course the fact that he was standing at the rail with his arm around Annabeth.**

Aphrodite and a few of her daughters giggled.

**Piper was happy to see Annabeth with a sparkle in her eyes, because Piper had never had a better friend**

Annabeth grinned. _You seem like a good friend too, Piper._

**...Now, despite the dangerous quest they were facing, at least she had her boyfriend back.**

The couple shared a smile.

**"So!" Annabeth plucked the bagel out of Piper's hand and took a bite,**

"Wow, I never knew Annabeth was a bagel snatcher!" Connor laughed.

"Is that any way to treat your friends?" Travis asked with a snicker.

Annabeth blinked in surprise. She had only done that a few times with Malcom, but she never tried it on anybody else. _Guess Piper and I are pretty close._

**but that didn't bother Piper. Back at camp, they'd had a running joke about stealing each other's breakfast. "Here we are. What's the plan?"**

**"I want to check out the highway," Piper said. "Find the sign that says Topeka 32."**

**Leo spun his Wii controller in a circle, and the sails lowered themselves.**

"Can't believe you guys want simpler more _boring_ controls." Leo sighed. "You don't have any idea how fun it is to just spin a Wii controller to hoist the sails."

"You can keep a few, but we can't have all the controls be some kind of game controller or record player." Annabeth said.

"Only a few?" the son of Hephaestus groaned. "Can't I make a control manual or something?"

"Nobody's going to remember what everything does during an emergency." Annabeth reminded. " _I_ couldn't even remember and if you label everything, it'll just be cluttered and confusing."

Leo frowned.

"Fine." he muttered, scuffing the ground.

**"We shouldn't be far," hesaid. "Festus and I calculated the landing as best we could. What do you expect to find at the mile marker?"**

**Piper explained what she'd seen in the knife—the man in purple with a goblet. She kept quiet about the other images, though, like the vision of Percy, Jason, and herself drowning.**

Annabeth frowned.

**She wasn't sure what it meant, anyway; and everyone seemed in such better spirits this morning, she didn't want to ruin the mood.**

"You wouldn't have ruined the mood." the daughter of Athena muttered. "It would've been helpful to know that." _Maybe Future Annabeth would've given me a few ideas._

Annabeth sighed.

**"Purple shirt?" Jason asked. "Vines on his hat? Sounds like Bacchus."**

Dionysus tried to ignore the pounding in his head.

The demigods eyed him before whispering to each other.

"What do you think a Roman Mr. D would be like?" Connor asked Travis.

His brother scratched his head.

"I don't know..." he admitted. "He's supposed to be more warlike, I guess? But isn't he a god of parties? What kind of party god would be warlike?"

"He's not just a party god." Katie stepped in, rolling her eyes. "His Roman side might have toned down the partying and focused more on wine and agriculture. He might be more of a farmer."

The others looked at her like she grew a second head.

"A farmer? Mr. D?" Chris said skeptically.

"But that would imply he would actually work." Will said. "He made me get his Diet Coke for him one time, and the can was only a few inches away from his hand."

"That was his Greek side. Not his Roman side." Katie reminded.

"I know you twerps are thinking about my Roman side! Stop it! You're giving me a headache!" Dionysus snapped, rubbing his temples as he tried to maintain his form.

The demigods immediately stopped whispering.

**"Dionysus," Percy muttered. "If we came all the way to Kansas to see Mr. D—"**

Cracking one eye open, the god glared at Percy.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean, Peter?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" the boy said quickly.

**"Bacchus isn't so bad," Jason said.**

Dionysus winced.

**"I don't like his followers much...."**

"To be fair, he doesn't like them either." Apollo said happily.

"I don't think anybody likes those little monsters..." Aphrodite shuddered.

**"But the god himself is okay," Jason continued. "I did him a favor once up in the wine country."**

"You did?" Thalia made a face.

"Was it bringing him Diet Coke?" Will muttered.

**Percy looked appalled. "Whatever, man. Maybe he's better on the Roman side. But why would he be hanging around in Kansas? Didn't Zeus order the gods to cease all contact with mortals?"**

**... "The gods haven't been very good at following** **_that_ ** **order," [Frank] noted.**

"You better have a good reason." Zeus said, glaring at his son.

Dionysus gulped and offered him a shaky smile.

"I'm sure I do, Father." he said.

"Mr. D just smiled." Travis urgently whispered to Connor.

"Ten puppies just died." he said, pretending to look sad. He wiped away a few fake tears.

 **"Besides, if the gods** **_have_ ** **gone schizophrenic like Hazel said—"**

 **"And** **_Leo_ ** **said," added Leo.**

**Frank scowled at him.**

Ares rolled his eyes. _What's he waiting for? An invitation? Just punch him and be done with it._

**"Then who knows what's going on with the Olympians? Could be some pretty bad stuff out there."**

**"Sounds dangerous!" Leo agreed cheerfully. "Well...you guys have fun. I've got to finish repairs on the hull. Coach Hedge is gonna work on the broken crossbows. And, uh, Annabeth—I could really use your help. You're the only other person who even sort of understands engineering."**

_If Leo's going to depend on me for helping with repairs, I should research more on the basics of engineering._ Annabeth thought, making a mental note to do that later.

**Annabeth looked apologetically at Percy. "He's right. I should stay and help."**

**"I'll come back to you." He kissed her on the cheek. "Promise."**

Aphrodite cooed.

Phoebe resisted the urge to gag as she continued reading.

**They were so easy together, it made Piper's heart ache.**

"It's still a work in progress." Annabeth said.

"All relationships are." Aphrodite remarked.

**Jason was great, of course. But sometimes he acted so distant, like last night, when he'd been reluctant to talk about that old Roman legend.**

Annabeth frowned.

**So often he seemed to be thinking of his old life at Camp Jupiter. Piper wondered if she would ever be able to break through that barrier.**

"He did just visit his camp, only to be driven away." Lacy reminded. "Give him some time."

**The trip to Camp Jupiter, seeing Reyna in person, hadn't helped. Neither did the fact that Jason had chosen to wear a purple shirt today—the color of the Romans.**

_Disgusting._ Athena scorned.

"He probably feels some type of way after what happened in Camp Jupiter. He went from being their leader, to being considered a traitor." Thalia said, crossing her arms. "I think he's wearing the shirt as a way to prove to himself that he didn't betray the Romans."

**... [Frank] "I think I should turn into a crow or something and fly around, keep an eye out for Roman eagles."**

**"Why a crow?" Leo asked. "Man, if you can turn into a dragon, why don't you just turn into a dragon every time? That's the coolest."**

**Frank's face looked like it was being infused with cranberry juice. "That's like asking why you don't bench-press your maximum weight every time you lift. Because it's hard, and you'd hurt yourself. Turning into a dragon isn't easy."**

Connor frowned. "I get what he's saying, but his reaction's a bit extreme."

"That's what I thought!" Leo said. "I don't know why he reacted the way he did, I figured he must've still been mad about what happened to Camp Jupiter."

"Or Hazel." Aphrodite added with a smirk. "Some people don't like reminders of their girlfriend's ex."

"Well, he should do something about it, instead of being so passive aggressive." Ares rolled his eyes. "Push the punk off the ship. Aim a few arrows at his head. Turn into an elephant and stomp on him."

 _What happened to talking it out?_ Leo gulped.

Hephaestus shot Ares a dirty look.

**"Oh." Leo nodded. "I wouldn't know. I don't lift weights."**

"I bet you don't." Ares snorted.

"Why would I? Scrawny's the new hot!" Leo tried to joke. He made a big show of flexing his arms.

His performance was met with a sneer from the god of war.

**"Yeah. Well, maybe you should consider it, Mr.—"**

**Hazel stepped between them.**

"Looks like I won't be the only one breaking up fights." Annabeth said with a sigh.

"If it helps, we get over this eventually." Leo said apologetically.

"I guess it helps a little." she said, still frowning. _Why can't we just get along now?_

 **Piper wondered what was going on with those three. The boys showing off for Hazel and razzing each other—** **_that_ ** **she understood.**

"I wouldn't consider what I just did _razzing..._ " Leo muttered, digging through his pockets. "Frank's the one who blew up for no reason..."

**But it almost seemed like Hazel and Leo had a history.**

"First Annabeth, now Piper?" Leo groaned. "Does everybody have to comment on our weird relationship?"

**So far as she knew, they'd met for the first time just yesterday.**

**She wondered if something else had happened on their trip to the Great Salt Lake—something they hadn't mentioned.**

"Good intuition." Aphrodite nodded her head in approval.

"Maybe a little _too_ good." Leo said, playing with a paper clip.

 **Hazel turned to Percy. "Just be careful when you go out there. Lots of fields, lots of crops. Couldbe** **_karpoi_ ** **on the loose."**

 **"** **_Karpoi_ ** **?" Piper asked.**

**"Grain spirits," Hazel said. "You don't want to meet them."**

"How would she know about that?" Hades muttered, frown deepening.

"Vicious beasts, always ruining crops." Demeter said darkly.

**"That leaves three of us to check on the mile marker," Percy said. "Me, Jason, Piper. I'm not psyched about seeing Mr. D again. That guy is a pain.**

"The feelings mutual, Pedro." Dionysus said, still cradling his head in his hand.

Poseidon gave his son a disapproving frown.

"Percy, I know Dionysus can be a bit..." the god paused. "Difficult." he decided. "But you still have to show him respect. He is a god, after all, and you are turning to him for help."

"Yes, Dad." Percy said meekly.

**But, Jason, if you're on better terms with him—"**

**"Yeah," Jason said. "If we find him, I'll talk to him.**

"Good luck with that." Travis muttered.

**Piper, it's your vision. You should take the lead."**

**Piper shivered. She'd seen the three of them drowning in that dark well. Was Kansas where it would happen? That didn't seem right, but she couldn't be sure.**

"Whatever it happens, we can handle it!" Percy gave Annabeth a smile. "I made a promise, after all."

Annabeth smiled back and squeezed his hand.

**"Of course," she said, trying to sound upbeat. "Let's find the highway."**

**Leo had said they were close. His idea of "close" needed some work.**

"Aw, com'on! It couldn't have been that bad!" Leo said dismissively. He started to make a paper clip chain.

**After trudging half a mile through hot fields, getting bitten by mosquitoes and whacked in the face with scratchy sunflowers, they finally reached the road. An old billboard for Bubba's Gas 'n' Grubin dictated they were still forty miles from the first Topeka exit.**

Leo cringed. "Oh... Opps... The calculations always make things seem so close together..."

**Jason peered both ways down the deserted road. He looked better today, thanks to the magical healing of ambrosia and nectar. His color was back to normal, and the scar on his forehead had almost vanished.**

"That's good." Thalia sighed with relief.

 **The new gladius that Hera had given him last winter hung at his belt. Most guys would look pretty awkward walking around with a scabbard strapped to their jeans, but on Jason it seemed perfectly natural.** Phoebe rolled her eyes.

"Good to know." she grumbled, flipping to the next page.

**"No cars..." he said. "But I guess we wouldn't want to hitchhike."**

**..."Hmm..." Jason snapped his fingers. "I can call a friend for a ride."**

**Percy raised his eyebrows. "Oh, yeah? Me too. Let's see whose friend gets here first."**

This earned groans from most of the readers in the room.

"It's not a race..." Thalia said rolling her eyes. She hesitated for a moment before adding: "Even if it was, Tempest would get there first."

"Really?" Annabeth said flatly.

"He's made out of air!" Thalia insisted, as some of the hunters looked at her in disappointment. "If Percy's going to call Blackjack, who is all the way in _Long Island_ , there's no way he'd get there before Tempest."

Percy's eyes lit with mischief. "Sounds like a bet."

The daughter of Zeus grinned back. "Of course it's a bet, loser buys the winner a cheeseburger."

"Deal!"

"I hope you got your allowance this week." Thalia taunted.

"Don't worry about me, you're the one who's going to lose." he said.

**Jason whistled. Piper knew what he was doing, but he'd succeeded in summoning Tempest only three times since they'd met the storm spirit at the Wolf House last winter. Today, the sky was soblue, Piper didn't see how it could work.**

Percy nodded along.

"Good point." he said, giving Thalia a smug smile.

She snorted. "Don't get cocky, they're not here yet."

 **Percy simply closed his eyes and concentrated. Piper hadn't studied him up close before. After hearing so much at Camp Half-Blood about Percy Jackson** **_this_ ** **and Percy Jackson** **_that_ ** **, she thought he looked...well, unimpressive, especially next to Jason.**

"Yikes!" Travis snickered.

A few others laughed softly amongst themselves.

"Wow, feeling the love here." Percy said sarcastically.

**He wasn't really Piper's type. If she'd seen him in the mall somewhere, she probably would've thought he was a skater—cute in a scruffy way,**

"Scruffy?!" Percy exclaimed.

" _Ouch!_ And I thought being called 'scrawny' was bad." Leo chuckled.

Annabeth gave Percy a comforting pat on the shoulder. "It's okay Seaweed Brain, I like the scruffy look."

" _Gee thanks._ " he said dryly. _Scruffy... I can't believe I got called 'scruffy'..._

**a little on the wild side, definitely a troublemaker.**

"That I can see." Percy admitted.

**She would have steered clear...But she could see why Annabeth liked him, and she could definitely see why Percy needed Annabeth in his life. If anybody could keep a guy like that under control, it was Annabeth.**

The couple shared a smile.

 _Is that supposed to be a good thing?_ Athena thought with a stony expression. She's his girlfriend, not his babysitter.

**Thunder crackled in the clear sky. Jason smiled. "Soon."**

Thalia grinned.

"I want extra cheese on my burger." she told Percy.

He rolled his eyes. "The horse has to be there for it to be a win, Thals."

**"Too late." Percy pointed east, where a black winged shape was spiraling toward them.**

Percy smirked.

"It's not over yet!" Thalia said hastily. "The horse has to be on the ground for it to count as a win!"

"Fine by me." Percy shrugged good naturedly.

 _Tempest if you don't show up in the next five seconds!_ the daughter of Zeus swore.

**"A black pegasus?" she said. "Never seen one like that."**

**The winged stallion came in for a landing.**

Percy smiled. "I'd like fries with my burger."

"Yeah, yeah..." Thalia grumbled under her breath. _I thought Jason said the stupid horse was coming soon. Where is it?_

**..."Blackjack," Percy said, "this is Piper and Jason. They're friends."**

"Good ol' Blackjack!" Percy said happily.

**The horse nickered.**

**"Uh, maybe later," Percy answered. Piper had heard that Percy could speak to horses, being the son of the horse lord Poseidon, but she'd never seen it in action.**

"It's nothing special." the son of Poseidon shrugged.

**"What does Blackjack want?" she asked.**

"Probably donuts. It's all he ever wants." Percy said.

 **...Suddenly the air turned cold. Piper's ears popped. About fifty yards away, a miniature cyclone three stories tall tore across the tops of the sunflowers like a scene from** **_The Wizard of Oz_ ** **.**

 _Ugh! Don't even bother showing up Tempest! You already failed me._ Thalia thought.

**It touched down on the road next to Jason and took the form of a horse—a misty steed with lightning flickering through its body.**

"Of course Tempest would want to make a late grand entrance." the huntress rolled her eyes.

**"Tempest," Jason said, grinning broadly. "Long time, my friend."**

**The storm spirit reared and whinnied. Blackjack backed up skittishly.**

**"Easy, boy," Percy said. "He's a friend too." He gave Jason an impressed look. "Nice ride, Grace."**

**Percy and Jason climbed on their respective horses. Piper had never been comfortable with Tempest. Riding full gallop on a beast that could vaporize at any moment made her a bit nervous. Nevertheless, she accepted Jason's hand and climbed on.**

**Tempest raced down the road with Blackjack soaring overhead...In no time, they arrived at the thirty-two-mile marker, which looked exactly as Piper had seen it in her vision.**

**...Blackjack whinnied.**

**"You're right," Percy said. "No sign of the wine dude."**

"Wine dude? Aw! The campers gave Dionysus a nickname!" Apollo mock cooed.

"I knew they'd like him the moment he became camp counselor." Hermes chuckled.

The demigods looked like they wanted to protest that.

Dionysus glared at the two gods.

**"I beg your pardon?" said a voice from the fields.**

**...The wheat parted, and the man from her vision stepped into view. He wore a wide-brimmed hat wreathed in grapevines, a purple short-sleeved shirt, khaki shorts, and Birkenstocks with white socks. He looked maybe thirty, with a slight potbelly, like a frat boy who hadn't yet realized college was over.**

_Great. Just_ **great**. _As if my head didn't already feel like it was going to split in two._ Dionysus winced. He snapped his fingers and an Advil bottle materialized in his hand.

The demigods took in the description.

"He looks different, but not by much." Chris noted. "His clothes aren't as... loud as they normally are..."

"He still has the potbelly." Connor noticed.

"Maybe not as big." Katie admitted off-handedly.

 **"Did someone just call me the** **_wine dude_ ** **?" he asked in a lazy drawl.**

"I kinda like it..." Hermes mused. "It just rolls off the tongue."

"Wine dude. _Wine_ dude!" Apollo tried. "Short and sweet. Why didn't I think of it before?"

"You call me that one time, and I'll make your children's time at Camp make the Fields of Punishment look like Elysium." the god of wine threatened.

Will, Chris, Travis, and Connor gave their dads pleading looks.

The gods sighed in disappointment.

"I guess only the kids are allowed to call him that." Apollo conceded.

"Nobody's allowed to call me that." Dionysus said, glaring at the teens, particularly at the son of Hades.

Nico felt heat rise to his face as he embarrassingly looked away.

**"It's Bacchus, please. Or Mr.Bacchus. Or Lord Bacchus. Or, sometimes, Oh-My-Gods-Please-Don't-Kill-Me, Lord Bacchus."**

Dionysus winced, and grabbed a fistful of his hair.

"Looks like he has the same personality too." Chris mentioned.

The god glared at him. "I'm nothing like that guy, Connor."

Chris and Connor frowned.

"I hate it when he does that." the Stoll muttered.

"I swear he only calls me that when you're in the room." Chris muttered back. "It's either that or Cody."

Connor blinked.

"He calls me Cody." he said, pointing to himself. "How come the others have their own personalized fake names, but ours are the same?"

Travis shrugged. "He has to run out of names eventually."

"Okay, but do it with the newbies. Not with someone who's been at Camp for _years_." Connor stressed.

**..."You look different," Percy told the god. "Skinnier. Your hair is longer. And your shirt isn't so loud."**

**The wine god squinted up at him. "What in blazes are you talking about? Who are you, and where is Ceres?"**

Demeter's body flickered.

**"Uh...what series?"**

Ceres rolled her eyes. "I know I shouldn't expect a Greek to know, but still... How disappointing."

She winced before changing back to Demeter.

**"I think he means Ceres," Jason said.**

Demeter groaned and held her head.

**"The goddess of agriculture. You'd call her Demeter." He nodded respectfully to the god. "Lord Bacchus, do you remember me? I helped you with that missing leopard in Sonoma."**

**Bacchus scratched his stubbly chin. "Ah...yes. John Green."**

"He even gets names wrong..." Katie whispered.

Connor grimaced. "I was kinda hoping that one would change."

**"Whatever," the god said. "Did Ceres send you, then?"**

**"No, Lord Bacchus," Jason said. "Were you expecting to meet her here?"**

**The god snorted. "Well, I didn't come to Kansas to** **_party_ ** **, my boy. Ceres asked me here for a council of war. What with Gaea rising, the crops are withering. Droughts are spreading. The** **_karpoi_ ** **are in revolt. Even my grapes aren't safe. Ceres wanted a united front in the plant war."**

"Please stop mentioning _her_." Demeter pleaded, feeling the headache get worse.

"Why should I have to suffer alone?" the god snapped.

**"The plant war," Percy said. "You're going to arm all the little grapes with tiny assault rifles?"**

Poseidon blinked. _What?_

Annabeth glared at Percy.

"You're really going to do this now?" she hissed.

"Sorry." he cringed. "I don't know why I would say that."

**The god narrowed his eyes. "Have we met?"**

**"At Camp Half-Blood," Percy said, "I know you as Mr. D—Dionysus."**

**"Agh!" Bacchus winced and pressed his hands to his temples. For a moment, his image flickered.Piper saw a different person—fatter, dumpier, in a much louder, leopard-patterned shirt. Then Bacchus returned to being Bacchus.**

"Are you trying to kill me?!" Dionysus snapped.

"Sorry! I guess I'm just surprised that you look so different." Percy said, hands raised in surrender.

**"Stop that!" he demanded. "Stop thinking about me in Greek!"**

**Percy blinked. "Uh, but—"**

**"Do you have any idea how** **_hard_ ** **it is to stay focused? Splitting headaches all the time! I never know what I'm doing or where I'm going! Constantly grumpy!"**

**"That sounds pretty normal for you," Percy said.**

Dionysus nostrils flared.

" _Perseus!"_ Poseidon said, looking aghast. "That's no way to speak to an immortal!"

"Sorry!"

"Don't apologize to me! Apologize to Dionysus!" the god said, pointing to the furious immortal. "You can't talk like that and expect help from him!"

His son had his head lowered whether it was from embarrassment or the scolding, the readers weren't sure.

"Sorry." he said softly to the god of wine.

Poseidon turned to Dionysus and gave what he hoped was a calming smile.

"I'm so sorry, he's usually not like this. He's such a sweet boy, he must still be agitated from the attack on New Rome."

"I doubt that." the god of wine deadpanned. "He's not the angel you think he is, Uncle."

Poseidon frowned in confusion.

 **The god's nostrils flared. One of the grape leaves on his hat burst into flame. "If we know each other from that** **_other_ ** **camp, it's a wonder I haven't already turned you into a dolphin."**

**"It was discussed," Percy assured him. "I think you were just too lazy to do it."**

Poseidon sputtered. His eyes wide and his jaw dropped in shock.

He picked up his jaw and stared at the boy in disbelief.

"What. Are. You. _Doing?"_ he finally stressed. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?! Do you not need help from Dionysus?! Why are you speaking to him in such a disrespectful tone?!"

Percy shifted uncomfortably and shrugged.

"YOU DON'T KNOW?!" the god yelled in disbelief.

"I mean, it's in the future, so yeah..."

"That's still no excuse! You know better than this! You shouldn't be doing it, period!"

"Don't be too hard on the boy, Brother." Hades said. For a minute, Poseidon was surprised that the god would defend him, until he said. "He can't help it, he's your child after all."

"This is typical Poseidon behavior," Zeus agreed. "Always questioning authority, being disrespectful. Maybe you should practice what you preach."

The god of the sea reared back at the offense.

"He does not get that from me." he denied. "That has to be a Sally trait."

"Mom says we're alike." Percy couldn't help but mention, head still lowered. "Especially our personalities."

Poseidon frowned. "We might be alike, but remember that I'm not the best example to be following. You are still mortal and can suffer consequences for treating gods as though they are lesser than you. Being my son can only protect you from so much."

"Yes, Dad."

"I'll make sure he stays out of trouble, Lord Poseidon." Annabeth swore.

That seemed to actually relax the god.

"Thank you, Annabeth." he breathed.

 **Piper had been watching with horrified fascination, the way she might watch a car wreck in progress. Now she realized Percy was _not_ making things better,** **and Annabeth wasn't around to rein him in.**

"I can't believe you would do this." she shot her boyfriend a glare. "Whether you like him or not, we need him for help."

"I know! I know!" Percy groaned. _First my dad, now Annabeth._ "I don't know why I'm being an idiot."

**Piper figured her friend would never forgive her if she brought Percy back transformed into a sea mammal.**

"After hearing the things he said, you're not the person I'd be mad at, Piper." Annabeth stated, shooting Percy another heated glare. "I can't believe you called him lazy! What happens if he says he's not going to help us since he's so lazy? What do we do then?"

Percy winced. "I... don't know... I haven't even thought of it..."

She shook her head at his response. _Let's just hope Piper or Jason can fix this._

 **"Lord Bacchus!" she interrupted, slipping off Tempest's back.**  

**..."Sorry to trouble you, my lord," she told the god, "but actually we came here to get your advice. Please, we need your wisdom."**

**She used her most agreeable tone, pouring respect into her charmspeak.**

**The god frowned, but the purple glow faded in his eyes.**

Poseidon, Percy, and Annabeth sighed with relief.

Dionysus rolled his eyes. "Really? He fell for that?"

He suddenly winced.

**"You're well-spoken, girl. Advice, eh? Very well. I would avoid karaoke. Really, theme parties in general are out. In these austere times, people are looking for a simple, low-key affair, with locally produced organic snacks and—"**

" _What?!_ Is he trying to bore his party guests?!" Dionysus exclaimed. "Karaoke while drunk is the highlight of any party! You can't get rid of that! Themes give people a sense of what type of party you'll be having, and help them dress for the occasion! Organic snacks?! Give me a break! If I wanted to eat healthy, I'd join a Health Club, not go to a party! _Urgh!"_ his whole body flickered, but he remained in his Greek form.

"This is the type of snore fest I'd expect from Da Vinci! Not the _god of parties!"_

"I mean he might have different tastes in parties, but his Roman side isn't that different." Connor muttered to Travis.

"Yeah, I guess not every god changes personalities like Athena." he said with a shrug.

**"Not about parties," Piper interrupted. "Although that's incredibly useful advice, Lord Bacchus.**

"Is it? Is it really?" Dionysus challenged through gritted teeth.

**We were hoping you'd help us on our quest." She explained about the Argo II and their voyage to stop the giants from awakening Gaea. She told him what Nemesis had said: that in six days, Rome would be destroyed. She described the vision reflected in her knife, where Bacchus offered her a silver goblet.**

**"Silver goblet?" The god didn't sound very excited. He grabbed a Diet Pepsi from nowhere and popped the top of the can.**

Some of the demigods gasped.

"Wait! Hold on!" Connor interrupted. "Did you say _Pepsi?_ Is he drinking _Diet Pepsi?!"_

"That's what I said." Phoebe said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh my gods..." Katie muttered in surprise. She stared off in the distance like she was still contemplating what she heard.

"I guess he is different..." Chris said.

"Rome really changed Mr. D." Travis blinked.

 **... [Bacchus]** **"As to this vision of the goblet, young lady, I have nothing for you to drink unless you want a Pepsi. Jupiter has put me under strict orders to avoid giving wine to minors.**

Zeus's body flickered.

**Bothersome, but there you have it. As for the giants, I know them well. I fought in the first Giant War, you know."**

**"You can fight?" Percy asked. Piper wished he hadn't sounded so incredulous.**

"Seaweed Brain, don't speak for the rest of the chapter." Annabeth deadpanned.

"I hope Piper charmspeaks me to shut up." Percy muttered. _Seriously? What's wrong with me?_

**Dionysus snarled. His Diet Pepsi transformed into a five-foot staff wreathed in ivy, topped with a pinecone.**

**"A** **_thyrsus_ ** **!" Piper said, hoping to distract the god before he whacked Percy on the head..."Oh, what a mighty weapon!"**

 **"Indeed," Bacchus agreed. "I'm glad** **_someone_ ** **in your group is smart.**

"Yeah, me too." Annabeth said.

**The pinecone is a fearsome tool of destruction! I was a demigod myself in the first Giant War, you know. The son of Jupiter!"**

Thalia cringed. _Why did he have to mention that?_

**Jason flinched. Probably he wasn't thrilled to be reminded that the Wine Dude was technically his big brother.**

**Bacchus swung his staff through the air, though his potbelly almost threw him off balance.**

A couple demigods bit their lips to keep from laughing.

**"Of course that was long before I invented wine and became an immortal. I fought side by side with the gods and some other demigod...Harry Cleese, I think."**

**"Heracles?" Piper suggested politely.**

**"Whatever," Bacchus said. "Anyway, I killed the giant Ephialtes and his brother Otis. Horrible boors, those two. Pinecone in the face for both of them!"**

"One of their names is Otis?" Percy blinked. "That's not what I was expecting."

**Piper held her breath. All at once, several ideas came together in her head—the visions in the knife, the lines of the prophecy they'd been discussing the night before...**

**"That's why we're here," Piper told the god. "You're part of our quest!"**

**Bacchus frowned. "I'm sorry, my girl. I'm not a demigod anymore. I don't** **_do_ ** **quests."**

"That's not what she meant!" Annabeth groaned.

 **"But giants can only be killed by heroes and gods working together," she insisted. "You're a god now, and the two giants we have to fight are Ephialtes and Otis. I think...I think they're waiting forus in Rome. They're going to destroy the city somehow. The silver goblet I saw in my vision—maybe it's meant as a symbol for your help. You** **_have_ ** **to help us kill the giants!"**

**Bacchus glared at her, and Piper realized she'd chosen her words poorly.**

"Not you too, Piper..." Annabeth sighed.

 **"My girl," he said coldly, "I don't** **_have_ ** **to do anything. Besides, I only help those who give me proper tribute, which no one has managed to do in many, many centuries."**

"Gods don't do anything for free." Dionysus said.

"But if you don't Gaea will destroy Rome!" Percy protested.

The god narrowed his eyes at him.

"You didn't sound like you needed my help earlier, I'm sure you'll be fine." he said coldly.

Percy inwardly groaned. _Me and my big mouth!_

 **...She didn't like the sound of** **_tribute_ ** **...**

**Percy voiced the question that she was too scared to ask. "What kind of tribute?"**

**Bacchus waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing** **_you_ ** **could handle, insolent Greek.**

"He might not know much about parties, but he's right about that." Dionysus grumbled, rubbing his head.

 **But I will give you some free advice, since this girl does have** **_some_ ** **manners. Seek out Gaea's son, Phorcys. He always hated his mother, not that I can blame him. He didn't have much use for his siblings the twins, either. You'll find him in the city they named after that heroine—Atalanta."**

**Piper hesitated. "You mean Atlanta?"**

**"That's the one."**

**"But this Phorcys," Jason said. "Is he a giant? A Titan?"**

"He's one of the oldest sea god to ever exist." Annabeth explained.

Percy blinked in surprise. _Even older than Dad?_

**Bacchus laughed. "Neither. Seek out the salt water."**

**"Salt water..." Percy said. "In Atlanta?"**

**"Yes," Bacchus said. "Are you hard of hearing? If anyone can give you insight on Gaea and the twins, it's Phorcys. Just watch out for him."**

"He's kinda crazy." Apollo mentioned.

"Great." Percy deadpanned. "Can't wait to meet him."

**"What do you mean?" Jason asked.**

**The god glanced at the sun, which had climbed almost to high noon. "It's unlike Ceres to be late, unless she sensed something dangerous in this area. Or..."**

**The god's face suddenly went slack. "Or a trap. Well, I must be going! And if I were you, I'd dothe same!"**

The readers tensed.

**"Lord Bacchus, wait!" Jason protested.**

_No please leave. Your presence is killing my head_. Dionysus thought.

**The god shimmered and disappeared with a sound like a soda-can top being popped.**

_Good riddance._

"Thanks for leaving without sending them back to their ship, Dionysus." Poseidon said sarcastically.

The god shrugged. "They should be fine, they still have the horses."

 **The wind rustled through the sunflowers. The horses paced in agitation. Despite the dry, hot day, Piper shivered. A cold feeling...Annabeth and Leo had both described a cold feeling....**   

"No... Not now..." Annabeth pleaded.

"You guys really need to get out of there." Thalia said nervously.

 **_...Too late,_ ** **said a sleepy voice, humming through the fields all around them and resonating in the ground at Piper's feet.**

"Crap. What is she up to now?" Thalia muttered as the other readers paled.

Poseidon held his breath.

Annabeth grabbed her necklace.

The goddess of love squeezed her armrests.

**Percy and Jason drew their swords. Piper stood on the road between them, frozen with fear. The power of Gaea was suddenly everywhere. The sunflowers turned to look at them. The wheat bent toward them like a million scythes.**

"Do you think they can run?" Chris asked.

"They could, but it'd be pointless." Annabeth grimaced. "Gaea's everywhere. Unless the ship came to get them, there's no escape."

The others looked hopefully at Leo.

Leo looked up from his chain and sadly shook his head.

"Sorry guys." he said.

"I knew you weren't going to show up, but I still couldn't help but hope I was wrong." Will sighed.

"Now what?" Lacy whimpered.

"There has to be something they can do!" Aphrodite whimpered as well.

 **_Welcome to my party,_ ** **Gaea murmured. Her voice reminded Piper of corn growing—a crackling, hissing, hot and persistent noise...**

 **_What did Bacchus say?_ ** **the goddess mocked.** **_A simple, low-key affair with organic snacks?_ **

"She's actually considering his advice?" Dionysus rolled his eyes.

"Who cares about that?!" Aphrodite snapped.

 **_Yes. For my snacks, I need only two: the blood of a female demigod, and the blood of a male. Piper, my dear, choose which hero will die with you._ **

"A girl and a boy?" Annabeth couldn't help but notice. "Why is so specific? Wasn't she fine with just any two demigods before?"

"Not really, Khione said she'd spare me and kill Jason and Piper, remember?" Leo said, he couldn't help but snort at the memory.

 _But why?_ she wondered.

**Piper's heart raced. Gaea meant to kill her. That was no surprise. But what was this about choosing one of the boys? Why would Gaea let either of them go? It had to be a trap.**

**"You're insane!" she shouted. "I'm not choosing anything for you!"**

**Suddenly Jason gasped. He sat up straight in his saddle.**

Thalia frowned worriedly.

**"Jason!" Piper cried. "What's wrong—?"**

**He looked down at her, his expression deadly calm. His eyes were no longer blue. They glowed solid gold.**

Thalia paled. "What's wrong with him?!"

**"Percy, help!" Piper stumbled back from Tempest.**

**But Percy galloped away from them. He stopped thirty feet down the road and wheeled his pegasus around. He raised his sword and pointed the tip toward Jason.**

Annabeth's eyes widened and Poseidon visibly paled.

 **_"One will die,"_ ** **Percy said, but the voice wasn't his. It was deep and hollow, like someone whispering from inside the barrel of a cannon.**

 **_"I will choose,"_ ** **Jason answered, in the same hollow voice.**

"They're possessed! They have to be!" Annabeth gasped.

" _Great,_ the eidolon brought a friend." Percy groaned.

Leo shifted uncomfortably. "Uh... make that _friends_. There are three eidolons."

"There's more than two?" the daughter of Athena grimaced. "How are we going to take care of this? One was already bad enough. What happens if more come to possess all of us?"

The other readers paled at the thought.

"Maybe Hazel can do something." Nico warily suggested.

"But what about now?" Thalia said worriedly.

The others grimaced at the reminder.

**"No!" Piper yelled.**

**All around her, the fields crackled and hissed, laughing in Gaea's voice as Percy and Jason charged at each other, their weapons ready.**

"Oh my gods..." Annabeth paled. _They're going to kill each other._

"This can't be happening..." Thalia muttered, her body was rigid, her hands were shaking. _Jason's going to kill Percy!_

 _I'm going to kill Jason!_ Percy panicked. "There has to be a way to stop this! Maybe we can fight it somehow? Or Piper can do something?"

"What happens next?!" Aphrodite impatiently asked the hunter.

"I finished the chap-" Phoebe didn't get a chance to finish, before Thalia took the book.

" **Piper XI** ," she hurriedly read.


	11. Piper XI

" **Piper XI,** " Thalia hurriedly read.

She didn't pause as she moved on to the next sentence.

**If not for the horses, Piper would've died.**

The demigods winced.

Aphrodite paled.

**Jason and Percy charged each other, but Tempest and Blackjack balked long enough for Piper to leap out of the way.**

Percy grimaced. _If Blackjack and Tempest hadn't stopped, Piper could have been seriously injured..._

" _Gods..._ " Mitchell muttered with a flinch.

"Thank goodness the horses have some sense." the goddess of love said to herself.

**...the boys crossed swords, gold against bronze. Sparks flew.**

_Please don't break the gold sword. Please don't break the_ _stupid_ _gold sword._ Thalia pleaded.

**Their blades blurred—strike and parry—and the pavement trembled. The first exchange took only a second, but Piper couldn't believe the speed of their sword fighting. The horses pulled away from each other—Tempest thundering in protest, Blackjack flapping his wings.**

The readers held their breaths as they listened to the fight.

Thalia's hands shook slightly as she read.

Percy sat stiffly in his chair. _Maybe Blackjack can just throw me off his back? Or fly the opposite direction. He knows this is wrong, there has to be something someone can do._

He swallowed thickly.

Leo threw the paper clip chain around his neck like a necklace.

**"Stop it!" Piper yelled.**

**For a moment, Jason heeded her voice.**

Thalia, Percy, and Annabeth perked up at that.

"She needs to try to charmspeak them." Annabeth suggested, squeezing her necklace. "If it made Jason pause, then it could be strong enough to make them stop altogether."

"But how will that get rid of the eidolons?" Percy frowned. "Sure it might stop us for the moment, but there's no telling when they'll be back in control of our bodies."

Annabeth squeezed her necklace harder.

"I don't know yet..." she admitted. "But the important thing is that you two stop trying to kill each other."

Percy didn't look too happy with the answer, but he had no choice but to accept it as the huntress continued reading.

**His golden eyes turned toward her, and Percy charged, slamming his blade into Jason.**

Thalia flinched and sucked in air through her teeth.

Percy paled. " _Please_ tell me Jason's going to be okay..."

"He's fine, you and Jay come back okay." Leo suddenly winced, remembering the huge bump on Percy's head and Jason being unconscious ( _again_ ). "...For the most part."

The other readers were relaxing, until he added that last comment.

"For the most part?" Percy echoed with a grimace of his own. He fought back a wave of guilt. _What did I do to him?_

**Thank the gods, Percy turned his sword—maybe on purpose, maybe accidentally—so the flat of it hit Jason's chest;**

A few readers sighed in relief.

"Piper has to try to charmspeak me next!" Percy stressed.

Leo drummed his fingers on his knee.

**but the impact was still enough to knock Jason off his mount.**

**Blackjack cantered away as Tempest reared in confusion. The spirit horse charged into the sunflowers and dissipated into vapor.**

Thalia had mixed emotions on this. On one hand, she was glad that the horse was no longer able to add any more chaos, on an other, it left Jason in a disadvantage.

"Piper, now's a good time to try charmspeaking Percy..." she muttered under her breath. She flipped the page so fast, it crinkled.

**..."Percy!" Piper yelled. "Jason's your friend. Drop your weapon!"**

**Percy's sword arm dipped. Piper might have been able to bring him under control, but unfortunately Jason got to his feet.**

A few people groaned in frustration.

"Can't they just give up!" Travis complained.

**Jason roared. A bolt of lightning arced out of the clear blue sky. It ricocheted off his gladius and blasted Percy off his horse.**

The god of the sea paled.

Annabeth gasped.

"It's okay, I'm fine." Percy said in what he tried to make an assuring voice. But he sounded too dismissive, his attention focused more on the fight.

**Blackjack whinnied and fled into the wheat fields.**

"Alright, the horses are gone. Now what? It's not like Piper can get in the middle of that." Lacy said worriedly.

**Jason charged at Percy, who was now on his back, his clothes smoking from the lightning blast.**

"Where's my Achilles' Curse when I need it?" Percy groaned.

"It's a good thing you don't have it now." Annabeth said grimly. "Can you imagine how this fight would end if you did?"

The son of Poseidon winced at the thought. He regretted ever mentioning it.

**..."No!" she screamed. "Jason, stop!"**

**He froze, his sword six inches from Percy's face.**

Annabeth gulped, her face paling.

"This has to end soon, if they keep going at this rate..." Katie trailed off and bit her lip.

The demigods around her were able to fill in the blanks and tensed.

"Leo said we're fine." Percy reminded, he wasn't sure who needed the reminder the most: the others or himself.

**Jason turned, the gold light in his eyes flickering uncertainly.** **_"I cannot stop. One must die."_ **

**Something about that voice...it wasn't Gaea. It wasn't Jason. Whoever it was spoke haltingly, as if English was its second language.**

A few readers shuddered.

**"Who are you?" Piper demanded.**

**Jason's mouth twisted in a gruesome smile.** **_"We are the eidolons. We will live again."_ **

Thalia felt a shiver run down her spine as she read this.

**_"He must die."_ ** **Jason turned his attention back to Percy, but Percy had recovered more than either of them realized. He swept out his leg and knocked Jason off his feet.**

**Jason's head hit the asphalt with a nauseating** **_conk_ ** **.**

The demigods winced.

Percy gasped. He looked ready to apologize to Thalia, but the daughter of Zeus was already yelling.

_"Oh my gods! Seriously?! Again?!"_ Thalia spat out, glaring at the book. "They've barely started the quest, and Jason's had his head bashed in _twice!"_

"Three times, if you want to count that moment with the Cyclops." Will added with a sigh. He rubbed his forehead. _He just recovered from that brick injury too..._

She gritted her teeth.

"At this rate, he's going to end up having a brain injury, or worse, be like Cal." the son of Apollo grimaced. "I think I'm going to get him a helmet from the armory."

"Might as well." Thalia said, scowling at the book. "I'll help you find one."

**Percy rose.**

**"Stop it!" Piper screamed again, but there was no charmspeak in her voice. She was shouting in sheer desperation.**

"Com'on Piper! Snap me out of it!" the son of Poseidon said hurriedly. _You're the only one who can do something!_

**Percy raised Riptide over Jason's chest.** Thalia's grip tightened on the book. **Panic closed up Piper's throat. She wanted to attack Percy with her dagger, but she knew that wouldn't help. Whatever was controlling him had all of Percy's skill. There was no way she could beat him in combat.**

"Try the charmspeaking again..." Annabeth muttered urgently.

**...She poured all of her anger into her voice. "Eidolon, stop."**

**Percy froze.**

**"Face me," Piper ordered.**

**The son of the sea god turned. His eyes were gold instead of green, his face pale and cruel, not at all like Percy's.**

Annabeth shuddered. "Gods..."

**_"You have not chosen,"_ ** **he said.** **_"So this one will die."_ **

**"You're a spirit from the Underworld," Piper guessed. "You're possessing Percy Jackson. Is that it?"**

**Percy sneered.** **_"I will live again in this body. The Earth Mother has promised. I will go where I please, control whom I wish."_ **

"Why do they have to possess a body?" Leo asked with a shudder. "Can't they just try for rebirth?"

"They were either denied it or they want to have your bodies just to spite the living." Hades explained with a frown. "The dead tend to hold strong grudges against living."

"Tell me about it..." Nico grumbled, thinking back to King Minos.

**...Jason still wasn't moving. Piper had no help, no way to protect him.**

**Behind Percy, something rustled in the wheat. Piper saw the tip of a black wing, and Percy began to turn toward the sound.**

Percy frowned. _Get out of here, Blackjack. You'll only get hurt._

**"Ignore it!" she yelped. "Look at me."**

**Percy obeyed.** **_"You cannot stop me. I will kill Jason Grace."_ **

**Behind him, Blackjack emerged from the wheat field, moving with surprising stealth for such a large animal.**

**"You won't kill him," Piper ordered. But she wasn't looking at Percy. She locked eyes with the pegasus, pouring all her power into her words and hoping Blackjack would understand. "You will knock him out."**

Having a feeling where this was going, Percy was already wincing.

_Go easy on him, Blackjack..._ Annabeth thought, squeezing her eyes shut.

**The charmspeak washed over Percy. He shifted his weight indecisively.** **_"I...will knock him out?"_ **

**"Oh, sorry." Piper smiled. "I wasn't talking to you."**

**Blackjack reared and brought his hoof down on Percy's head.**

_"Ooooooohhh!_ " the demigods chorused as some winced and flinched in sympathy.

"Ouch." Hermes remarked with his own sympathetic wince.

Will grimaced. _Looks like I'll be getting two helmets..._

"Is he trying to kill him?!" Poseidon exclaimed.

"I hope it wasn't _too_ bad." Annabeth couldn't help but worriedly say.

Percy subconsciously rubbed his head.

"It's okay! It's over now!" he told them with a relaxed sigh. "I'd rather take a blow to the head than kill Jason."

Thalia was about to start reading, until she heard that.

The daughter of Zeus froze.

"... _Wait..."_ she said slowly. "Do you honestly believe that you can kill Jason?"

Percy frowned as the others groaned.

"Why wouldn't I? He was knocked out and I had a sword pointed to his chest. I think that pretty much solves who's stronger than who."

"You mean which _eidolon_ is stronger than the other." Thalia corrected. "You were possessed by a spirit who obviously had a better handle at your body than the other. If you guys were fighting normally, without any outside help, Jason would have won."

"You guys can't seriously be fighting over this..." Annabeth grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose.

The two took no notice of her as Percy argued back.

"What do you mean? Even without the eidolon, I would've _totally_ killed Jason! Not that I would!" he made a point to quickly add.

"Obviously you wouldn't, because Jason would've killed you before you had the chance." Thalia said dismissively. "He was practically raised to be a warrior since the time he was a toddler. He can fly, and shoot lightning! If he had used his powers more, you would've been toast."

"He's not the only one with powers. Are you forgetting that I can control water and cause earthquakes?" Percy asked rhetorically.

"You've only made an earthquake once." Annabeth pointed out with a sigh. "And when you did, you ended up on..." she trailed off. Annabeth sat up straighter, crossing her arms and glaring at the ground. "Let's just say you'd both kill each other and end this."

Thalia and the other demigods looked confused at her sudden shift in tone, but Percy and strangely Leo seemed to know what she was talking about.

Percy's shoulders slumped, he found the ground to look interesting.

"Yeah, let's do that."

"Sounds like a plan." Leo agreed shortly. He blinked when he found himself in a similar position as Annabeth, arms folded, glaring at his feet, and quickly righted himself.

_So what if Percy and Calypso had a thing. It doesn't mean anything now, he's dating Annabeth._ Leo told himself, ignoring the sinking feeling in his stomach. _Besides, even if it did. It's none of my business._

He felt a pang in his heart, but chose to search through his toolbelt instead of think more on the topic.

**Percy crumpled to the pavement next to Jason.**

Annabeth's expression softened in concern.

**"Oh, gods!" Piper ran to the boys. "Blackjack, you didn't** **_kill_ ** **him, did you?"**

**The pegasus snorted. Piper couldn't speak Horse, but she thought he might have said:** **_Please. I know my own strength._ **

"Sounds like something he would say." Percy said with a small smile.

Leo took out a pen and notepad. He started doodling.

**...Piper checked on Jason. He was breathing steadily, but two knocks on the skull in two days couldn't have been good for him.**

Thalia rolled her eyes in frustration. _Why did it have to be his head? Couldn't he have landed on his shoulder or something?_

**Then she examined Percy's head. She didn't see any blood, but a large knot was forming where the horse had kicked him.**

Percy groaned.

"Just make sure you put some ice on it and drink some nectar." Will said. "Of course, you need to get some rest too."

_Right. Rest._ the son of Poseidon wasn't sure how much of those orders his future self was going to follow, but he was almost positive he wouldn't be following that last one. At least, not right away, he wasn't as insane as Leo. _I can't be sleeping when my friends need me. We still need to tell them about the eidolons and what happened with Mr. D._

**"We have to get them both back to the ship," she told Blackjack.**

**The pegasus bobbed his head in agreement. He knelt to the ground, so that Piper could drape Percy and Jason over his back...**

**The others were a little surprised when Piper came back on a pegasus with two unconscious demigods. While Frank and Hazel tended to Blackjack, Annabeth and Leo helped get Piper and the boys to the sickbay.**

**"At this rate, we're going to run out of ambrosia," Coach Hedge grumbled as he tended their wounds.**

Will blinked as if the thought just occurred to him.

"He has a point. You guys get injured a lot." he admitted. _If they're running out of building materials, who knows how much medical supplies they have..._

Will made a mental note to be in charge of stocking the ship with medical supplies.

**"How come I never get invited on these violent trips?"**

"It's not like we knew it was going to get violent." Percy muttered.

Leo drew a stars around the border of the empty page.

**Piper sat at Jason's side. She herself felt fine after a swig of nectar and some water, but she was still worried about the boys.**

**"Leo," Piper said, "are we ready to sail?"**

**"Yeah, but—"**

**"Set course for Atlanta. I'll explain later."**

**"But...okay." He hurried off. Annabeth didn't argue with Piper either. She was too busy examining the horseshoe-shaped dent on the back of Percy's head.**

Percy winced. " _Gods,_ I thought Blackjack was trying to knock me out, not flatten my head."

Annabeth and Will grimaced.

"That's going to need some painkillers." Will said.

**"What** **_hit_ ** **him?" she demanded.**

**"Blackjack," Piper said.**

**"** **_What_ ** **?"**

Hermes and Apollo chuckled.

"I wish I could've seen the look on her face." the sun god said.

**Piper tried to explain while Coach Hedge applied some healing paste to the boys' heads. She'd never been impressed with Hedge's nursing abilities before,**

"Well the last time he healed you, you were smelling like Gatorade, so I'm not surprised." Thalia said dryly.

**but he must have done something right...They both groaned and opened their eyes.**

"That was quick." Will remarked in pleasant surprise.

"Gleeson must've been practicing." Grover commented.

**Within a few minutes, Jason and Percy were sitting up in their berths and able to talk in complete sentences.**

The satyr, Apollo, Will looked impressed.

"Wonder what was in that paste..." the son of Apollo said to himself.

**Both had fuzzy memories of what had happened.**

"Considering what happened to your heads, that's normal." Will said.

**When Piper described their duel on the highway, Jason winced.**

**"Knocked out twice in two days," he muttered. "Some demigod."**

"Just try to take better care of yourself." Thalia sighed.

**He glanced sheepishly at Percy. "Sorry, man. I didn't mean to blast you."**

**Percy's shirt was peppered with burn holes...Despite that, he managed a weak laugh. "Not the first time. Your big sister got me good once at camp."**

"You had a few good shots too." Thalia admitted with a grin.

"What were we even fighting about?" Percy asked, smiling.

"I don't remember much. I think it was over something stupid during Capture-the-Flag." she said with a laugh.

**"Yeah, but...I could have killed you."**

"Last time I checked, you were unconscious..." Percy muttered. "Not sure how you would've killed me."

**"Or I could have killed you," Percy said.** Thalia rolled her eyes as the others sighed and groaned in annoyance.

"You got one good hit, and now you think you're the strongest." she muttered under her breath before she continued reading.

**Jason shrugged. "If there'd been an ocean in Kansas, maybe."** Thalia laughed.

Percy rolled his eyes. "I didn't need to use an ocean to knock you out."

"It doesn't matter." Annabeth cut in. _I can't believe I have to hear this stupid argument twice._

"You two should settle this through an arm wrestling match, or a spar." the daughter of Zeus suggested.

Percy perked up at the idea. "Yeah, sparring would be cool."

Leo winced. "No, please. Don't have any sparring sessions on my ship. You'll get carried away and destroy everything! It'll take forever to fix!"

"We'll be careful." the son of Poseidon tried to sound assuring, but he couldn't contain the excitement in his voice.

Leo just grimaced in response. _Why did Thalia give him that idea?_

He drew a frowny face.

**"I don't need an ocean—"**

**"Boys," Annabeth interrupted, "I'm sure you both would've been wonderful at killing each other. But right now, you need some rest."**

Will nodded his head in approval.

**"Food first," Percy said. "Please?**

The son of Apollo hesitated, but reluctantly agreed. "Eat a well-balanced meal. If you're not that hungry, just have fruits or toast. Avoid drinking caffeinated drinks."

_I should write this down for them, they could use a guide._ he mused.

**And we really need to talk. Bacchus said some things that don't—"**

"Can't that wait later? Or have Piper fill the others in while you're resting?" Will frowned.

"It's better if we talk about this as a group. I'll rest later." Percy said dismissively.

Will's frown deepened. _I swear, if he passes out because he hadn't slept..._

**...[Annabeth] "Okay, fine. We need to talk. Mess hall. Ten minutes. I'll tell the others. And please, Percy...change your clothes. You smell like you've been run over by an electric horse."**

"I almost was." Percy said with a shrug.

**Leo gave the helm to Coach Hedge again, after making the satyr promise he would not steer them to the nearest military base "for fun."**

"He what?!" Grover exclaimed.

"To be fair, he's only done it one time. He hasn't done it since." Leo said, tracing his hand.

**They gathered around the dining table, and Piper explained what had happened...**

**"Of course!" Hazel slapped the table, which startled Frank so much, he dropped his burrito. "That's what happened to Leo too."**

**..."But the Romans don't know that," Annabeth said. "And why would they take our word for it?"**

**"We could contact Reyna," Jason suggested. "She would believe us."**

"Even if she did, there wouldn't be much she could do." Annabeth reminded. "The best thing we can do right now, is think of how to stop those eidolons from possessing us."

She took her own advice and brainstormed ways to prevent eidolon possession.

**Hearing the way Jason said her name, like it was a lifeline to his past, made Piper's heart sink.**

"Him and Reyna were close." Thalia reminded. _He probably feels bad that they didn't have a chance to talk._

**Jason turned to her with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "You could convince her, Pipes. I know you could."** Thalia cringed. _Awkward._

Annabeth, Aphrodite, and members of Cabin Ten cringed with her.

"Is he serious?" the goddess of love asked. "Please someone tell me he's joking."

"Nope. He's serious." Lacy grimaced.

"What was he thinking?" Thalia said in disbelief. "Does he realize that forcing those two to talk isn't the best situation? Especially when the reason they have tension is because of him?"

"I don't know why you're surprised." Phoebe said dryly. "Boys are clueless."

**Piper felt like all the blood in her body was draining into her feet. Annabeth looked at her sympathetically...**

**"I could try," she said halfheartedly.**

"Yeah, that's not happening anytime soon." Thalia translated.

**"But Octavian is the one we have to worry about. In my dagger blade, I saw him taking control of the Roman crowd. I'm not sure Reyna can stop him."**

**Jason's expression darkened...but the other Romans—Hazel and Frank—nodded in agreement.**

**"She's right," Frank said. "This afternoon when we were scouting, we saw eagles again. They were a long way off, but closing fast. Octavian is on the warpath."**

**Hazel grimaced. "This is exactly the sort of opportunity Octavian has always wanted. He'll try to seize power. If Reyna objects, he'll say she's soft on the Greeks. As for those eagles...It's like they could smell us."**

**"They can," Jason said. "Roman eagles can hunt demigods by their magical scent even better than monsters can. This ship might conceal us somewhat, but not completely—not from them."**

Thalia and a few other hunters perked up in interest.

"Really? A bird like that would be useful to have when we're hunting." the daughter of Zeus mused. _If it can smell demigods better than monsters, it can probably pick up all sorts of scents. And having a tracker in the sky would be useful too..._

"We should get Roman eagles!" Celin said excitedly, seeming to have similar thoughts.

The other girls nodded eagerly in agreement.

"You already have the hunting wolves to take care of, eagles are a big responsibility." Artemis told them.

_"Pppllleeeaaassseee!"_ the girls sang in unison.

The goddess hesitated, her expression softening before she sighed.

"I'll think about it." she said. The girls cheered.

"That's not a 'yes'!" Artemis reminded them.

"You're such a softie!" Apollo snickered. He got elbowed for his troubles.

When the hunters quieted down, Thalia read on.

**Leo drummed his fingers. "Great. I should have installed a smoke screen that makes the ship smell like a giant chicken nugget. Remind me to invent that, next time."**

Will blinked before he turned to Leo.

"Chicken nugget?"

"I was hungry." the boy shrugged.

"Wouldn't a smell like that make you stand out even more?" Katie pointed out.

"What if the eagles get hungry? Wouldn't the smell of chicken nuggets make them want to follow the ship?" Chris added.

"Then I'll chose a smell that the eagles will hate. Maybe something like razzberries or burnt toast." Leo thought out loud.

Annabeth made a face. "How about we think of something else?"

**Hazel frowned. "What is a chicken nugget?"**

The demigods' eyes widened in shock.

"She doesn't know what a chicken nugget is?" Percy asked, looking aghast. He turned to Nico. "You buy Happy Meals for the Dead, but you've never taken your sister to McDonalds?"

"She was already overwhelmed by how much things changed, I figured it would be better to just take her to camp." the son of Hades responded. _I really should've done a better job explaining things to her._

"It's no big deal," Leo said happily, waving his pen like a wand. "I'm showing her everything the 21st century has to offer, chicken nuggets included!"

**"Oh, man..." Leo shook his head in amazement. "That's right. You've missed the last like, seventy years. Well, my apprentice, a chicken nugget—"**

**"Doesn't matter," Annabeth interrupted.**

"It's pretty serious, chicken nuggets were a main staple in my childhood." Travis said, hand over his heart.

**"The point is, we'll have a hard time explaining the truth to the Romans. Even if they believe us—"**

**"You're right." Jason leaned forward. "We should just keep going. Once we're over the Atlantic, we'll be safe—at least from the legion."**

Some of the demigods frowned in confusion.

**... [Piper] "How can you be sure?" she asked. "Why wouldn't they follow us?"**

**He shook his head. "You heard Reyna talking about the ancient lands. They're much too dangerous. Roman demigods have been forbidden to go there for generations. Even Octavian couldn't get around that rule."**

**[Frank]... "So, if** **_we_ ** **go there..."**

**"We'll be outlaws as well as traitors," Jason confirmed. "Any Roman demigod would have the right to kill us on sight.**

Some of the readers winced.

**But I wouldn't worry about that. If we get across the Atlantic, they'll give up on chasing us. They'll assume that we'll die in the Mediterranean—the Mare Nostrum."**

The mood in the room darkened at that.

"I'm pretty sure there was a better way to put that." Katie said, rubbing her arm.

"But he has a point, going there will be our best chance of losing them." Annabeth said. "We just have to stay ahead of them."

**Percy pointed his pizza slice at Jason.**

Will grimaced at his food choice. _Yup, I'm definitely making a guide._

**"You, sir, are a ray of sunshine."**

"No kidding," Chris agreed.

**Jason didn't argue. The other demigods stared at their plates, except for Percy, who continued to enjoy his pizza...**

Annabeth playfully rolled her eyes. "At least someone's still hungry."

"I'm not letting the food go to waste!" Percy said defensively.

**"So let's plan ahead," Percy suggested,**

The daughter of Athena blinked in surprise.

" _You_ want to think ahead?" she said. Annabeth shook her head in disbelief. "Camp Jupiter really changed you, Seaweed Brain."

"I have my moments." Percy huffed, pretending to be offended.

**"and make sure we don't die. Mr. D—Bacchus— Ugh, do I have to call him** **_Mr. B_ ** **now?**

"I still like 'wine dude'." Apollo said with a chuckle. Dionysus gave him a poisonous look. "Seriously? Who came up with that?"

Percy gave Nico a mischievous smile. The boy silently shook his head.

"Nico." he said anyway.

Nearly everyone looked at the son of Hades in surprise.

Said boy looked like he wanted to die in embarrassment.

"I was hoping you would forget that." he groaned. _You never said anything the last chapter. Why couldn't you just have left it alone?_

"How could I forget?" Percy chuckled. "We were the Big House, talking about how to save Annabeth when- _BAM!_ This little kid busts inside, pointing at Mr. D and saying: " _Whoa!_ You're the wine dude! _No way!"_

" _Oh yeah!"_ Thalia remembered, laughing with him and Grover. "Remember when he brought up that he had Mr. D's figurine?!"

"And the Mythomagic holofoil card! Don't forget that!" Percy added. Him, Thalia, and Grover laughed harder.

"Who can forget?" Dionysus ground out, with that same look of loathing he had years ago.

_That's_ _so_ _cute._ Will thought, smiling hard.

"Okay! That's enough! We're done talking about that!" Nico snapped, face turning red.

"Remember his reaction to Chiron?" Thalia asked, despite Nico's groan in protest. She dramatically widened her eyes and gasped. After resting the open book in her lap, she held her arms out.

" _SO COOL!"_ she said with an excited squeal. " _You're... you're a centaur!"_

"I did _not_ sound like that!" Nico protested over the others' laughter.

"You did! You totally did! You had your hands out and everything!" Percy struggled for breath as he continued laughing.

"Shut up! Don't we have a book to read or something?!" Nico suddenly brought up.

"Now, now, don't go changing subject." Leo snickered.

"As if you're the one to talk!" he snapped. The son of Hephaestus merely grinned and held his hands up in surrender.

"He's right, we should get back to reading." Hestia said, still giggling.

"Okay, okay." Thalia said, still smiling. She picked up the book and went back to reading.

_They're never going to let me live this down..._ Nico thought with a heavy sigh.

**Anyway, he mentioned the twins in Ella's prophecy. Two giants. Otis and, uh, something that started with an F?"**  

"Ephialtes," Annabeth reminded as the group was still struggling to be more serious.

**"Twin giants, like Piper saw in her blade..." Annabeth ran her finger along the rim of her cup. "I remember a story about twin giants. They tried to reach Mount Olympus by piling up a bunch of mountains."**

"Not the brightest bulbs in the box." Hestia commented, probing her hearth.

**[Frank] "Well, that's great. Giants who can use mountains like building blocks. And you say Bacchus killed these guys with a pine cone on a stick?"**

Rubbing his forehead, Dionysus rolled his eyes. "There was more to it than that. It required skill and wits."

A couple gods snorted at this.

**"Something like that," Percy said. "I don't think we should count on his help this time. He wanted a tribute, and he made it pretty clear it would be a tribute we couldn't handle."**

"He didn't even tell us what kind of tribute he wanted..." Annabeth muttered, frowning to herself.

"Maybe we could offer him a bowl of grapes." Percy said jokingly.

His joke was met with a blank expression.

**Silence fell around the table. Piper could hear Coach Hedge above deck singing "Blow the Man Down," except he didn't know the lyrics, so he mostly sang, "Blah-blah-hum-de-dum-dum."**

"I _hate_ when he does that." Leo complained, brushing his hair back. "If you don't know the lyrics, don't sing at all."

"And if you _do_ know the lyrics, don't sing at all." Artemis added, just as Apollo was about to fill in the words.

The god pouted at her.

**Piper couldn't shake the feeling that Bacchus was** **_meant_ ** **to help them. The giant twins were in Rome. They were keeping something the demigods needed—something in that bronze jar.**

The readers became more somber at that.

A few tried not to glance at Nico.

Said boy sighed, shoulders slumping.

**Whatever it was, she got the feeling it held the answer to sealing the Doors of Death—** **_the key to endless death._ **

"That's true." Annabeth agreed with mild surprise. _But how?_

**She also felt sure they could never defeat the giants without Bacchus's help.** Dionysus winced. **And if they couldn't do that in five days, Rome would be destroyed, and Hazel's brother, Nico, would die.**

Hades tensed.

Will grimaced.

Some of the readers winced.

"Thanks for the reminder." Nico said darkly.

**On the other hand, if the vision of Bacchus offering her a silver goblet was false, maybe the other visions didn't have to come true either—especially the one of her, Percy, and Jason drowning. Maybe that was just symbolic.**

"Doubt it." Percy said.

**_The blood of a female demigod,_ ** **Gaea had said, and the blood of a male.** **_Piper, my dear, choose which hero will die with you._ **

**"She wants two of us," Piper murmured.**

**Everyone turned to look at her.**

**Piper hated being the center of attention... She remembered when Aphrodite had claimed her at the bonfire in front of the entire camp, zapping her with a magic beauty-queen makeover. That had been the most embarrassing moment of her life.**

" _Oh puh-lease!_ You were cute! Everyone loved it! Especially Jason!" the goddess of love giggled.

**Even here, with only six other demigods, Piper felt exposed.**

**...But she had a strange feeling...as if more than six sets of eyes were watching her.**

The readers tensed.

Leo grimaced.

"The eidolons are still here?!" Annabeth gritted her teeth. She glared at the book as if that would scare the ghosts away.

" _Great._ Who's bodies are they in this time?" Percy scowled.

"Don't say that." Grover shuddered. "They might not be in someone's body. They might be floating around or something."

"Floating around instead taking advantage of the opportunity. Doubt it." Clarisse snorted.

**"Today on the highway," she said, "Gaea told me that she needed the blood of only two demigods—one female, one male. She—she asked me to choose which boy would die."**

"She's not going to say anything?" Mitchell frowned.

"It's not like she can prove it. It's just a feeling." Annabeth reminded, although she was frowning along with him.

**Jason squeezed her hand. "But neither of us died. You saved us."**

**"I know. It's just...Why would she want that?"**

**Leo whistled softly. "Guys, remember at the Wolf House? Our favorite ice princess, Khione? She talked about spilling Jason's blood, how it would taint the place for generations. Maybe demigod blood has some kind of power."**

**"Oh..." Percy set down his third pizza slice. He leaned back and stared at nothing, as if the horse kick to his head had just now registered.**

Annabeth and Poseidon worriedly frowned.

"Not surprised. He should be resting and _not_ eating three slices of pizza..." Will grumbled.

**"Percy?" Annabeth gripped his arm.**

**"Oh, bad," he muttered. "Bad. Bad." He looked across the table at Frank and Hazel. "You guys remember Polybotes?"**

Poseidon scowled, he resisted the urge to grab his trident.

"He's come back to?" he growled.

"Who's Polybotes?" Percy asked.

"He's a giant made to destroy Poseidon." Annabeth explained.

Percy froze at that. It was one thing to hear giants being made to destroy other gods, but to hear one being made to specifically _kill_ his father was another thing entirely.

He tried to ignore the pang of fear as Thalia continued reading.

**"The giant who invaded Camp Jupiter," Hazel said. "The anti-Poseidon you whacked in the head with a Terminus statue. Yes, I think I remember."**

**"I had a dream," Percy said, "when we were flying to Alaska. Polybotes was talking to the gorgons, and he said—he said he wanted me taken prisoner, not killed. He said: 'I want that one chained at my feet, so I can kill him when the time is ripe. His blood shall water the stones of Mount Olympus and wake Earth Mother!'"**

Percy shuddered.

The readers sat in stunned silence.

" _Wait..._ " Connor said, face paling. "They can do that? Just take our blood and instantly wake up Gaea?! Does it have to be one of the Seven? Or can they find just anyone's blood and wake her up?"

"I don't know..." Annabeth admitted, holding her necklace. "But we'll have to be careful."

"More careful than we've been before..." Percy grimaced. "Do you think we have to be dead for this to work? If it's just blood, can't they just make us bleed then have one instant wake-up call for Mother Earth?"

"No. If that were true, they wouldn't need to kill us. They could've just tried that." his girlfriend said with certainty.

**"I don't know," Percy said. "But until we figure it out, I suggest we all try to avoid getting captured."**

"Whoops." Nico said dryly.

**Jason grunted. "** **_That_ ** **I agree with."**

**"But how do we figure it out?" Hazel asked. "The Mark of Athena, the twins, Ella's prophecy...how does it all fit together?"**

**[Annabeth]... "Piper, you told Leo to set our course for Atlanta."**

**"Right," Piper said. "Bacchus told us we should seek out...what was his name?"**

**"Phorcys," Percy said.**

**Annabeth looked surprised, like she wasn't used to her boyfriend having the answers.**

"Really?" Percy said, playfully rolling his eyes.

"Don't act like you aren't surprised too." Annabeth teased.

**"You know him?"**

**Percy shrugged. "I didn't recognize the name at first. Then Bacchus mentioned salt water, and it rang a bell. Phorcys is an old sea god from before my dad's time. Never met him, but supposedly he's a son of Gaea. I still don't understand what a sea god would be doing in Atlanta."**

**Leo snorted. "What's a wine god doing in Kansas? Gods are weird. Anyway, we should reach Atlanta by noon tomorrow, unless something** **_else_ ** **goes wrong."**

"Don't even joke about that." Annabeth said, rubbing her forehead. "We already got enough problems."

**"Don't even say that," Annabeth muttered. "It's getting late. We should all get some sleep."**

**"Wait," Piper said.**

**Once more, everyone looked at her.**

**She was rapidly losing her courage, wondering if her instincts were wrong, but she forced herself to speak.**

**"There's one last thing," she said. "The eidolons—the possessing spirits. They're still here, in this room."**

"I'm getting real tired of hearing about these stupid things." Annabeth grumbled.

"Me too." Percy agreed. "Can't they just go away?"

"Yes, but it won't be easy." she said with a sigh.

"Finished with the chapter." Thalia said.

"I'll read next." Celin volunteered, taking the book.

" **Piper XII** ,"


	12. Piper XII

" **Piper XII** ," Celin read.

**PIPER COULDN'T EXPLAIN HOW SHE KNEW.**

"Could be a sixth sense." Leo suggested, drawing an UFO.

"How did Piper know about the eidolons before Hazel?" Annabeth couldn't help but wonder.

"She hasn't really had time to sense them with the Narcissus problem and the two other eidolons were possessing Jason and Percy when they left the ship." Nico reminded.

**...Cherokee spirits were always restless. They often lost their way to the Land of the Dead, or stayed behind with the living out of sheer stubbornness. Sometimes they didn't even realize they _were_ dead.**

Hades rolled his eyes. _Spirits are always so annoying when they forget they died._ _Never bring their own paperwork or money, then I have to listen to Charon complain._

The god rubbed his temples and heaved a sigh.

**The more Piper learned about being a demigod, the more convinced she was that Cherokee legends and Greek myths weren't so different. These eidolons acted a lot like the spirits in her dad's stories.**

**Finally Hazel exhaled. "Piper is right."**

**"How can you be sure?" Annabeth asked.**

**"I've met eidolons," Hazel said. "In the Underworld, when I was...you know."**

_**Dead.** _

**Piper had forgotten that Hazel was a second-timer.**

"That's an interesting way to put it." Nico considered. "Better than 'zombie'."

**..."So..." Frank rubbed his hand across his buzz-cut hair as if some ghosts might have invaded his scalp.**

Travis and Connor nervously snickered.

**"You think these things are lurking on the ship, or—"**

**"Possibly lurking inside some of us," Piper said. "We don't know."**

Annabeth and a few others grimaced.

The tension grew in the air.

**[Jason]. "If that's true—"**

"Then we can't really trust anyone." Annabeth finished. "Even if there's just three of them, the eidolons can possess any one of us at any time."

**"We have to take steps," Piper said. "I think I can do this."**

**"Do what?" Percy asked.**

**"Just listen, okay?" Piper took a deep breath. "Everybody listen."**

The readers were quiet, everyone focused their attention on Celin.

**Piper met their eyes, one person at a time.**

**"Eidolons," she said, using her charmspeak, "raise your hands."**

The readers waited with bated breath.

**There was tense silence.**

Travis forced himself to laugh, breaking the silence in the room.

"What is she doing? Some kind of séance?" he joked. "There's no way that would work."

"I know right?" Connor said, fighting back the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Who be dumb enough to raise their hand?"

**Leo laughed nervously. "Did you really think that was going to—?"**

**His voice died. His face went slack. He raised his hand.**

"Oh." Connor simply said.

"Yup. Figures I'd be stuck with the stupid one." Leo said with a sigh.

"That actually worked?" Travis said in surprise.

"The powers of charmspeak." Aphrodite couldn't help but say smugly.

**Jason and Percy did the same. Their eyes had turned glassy and gold...**

Annabeth shuddered.

"They're in the same people." Nico noticed. "They've either been there the whole time, or they have favorites."

Leo shivered.

"Do you have to say it so casually?" he complained. The son of Hades shrugged in response.

"Not sure which one sounds worse." Percy said, making a face.

**Next to Leo, Frank scrambled out of his chair and put his back against the wall.**

Leo snorted. 

"Thanks Frank." he grumbled, tapping his pen on the notepad.

**"Oh, gods." Annabeth looked at Piper imploringly. "Can you cure them?"**

"Try charmspeaking them again." Annabeth said urgently.

**Piper wanted to whimper and hide under the table, but she had to help Jason...**

"And Leo and Percy." Leo added, drawing a bear fighting a tiger.

**She focused on Leo because he was the least intimidating.**

Leo opened his mouth to protest before he hesitated and let out a sigh.

"To be fair, I'd pick me too." he conceded with a shrug.

"But not me." Percy frowned. "I'm really not that bad."

"We can focus on that later." Annabeth said impatiently. "Let's worry about the eidolons right now."

**_"No,"_ Leo said in a hollow voice.** 

Hephaestus grimaced.

Leo, Jake, and Nyssa shuddered.

**_"The Earth Mother sent three. The strongest, the best. We will live_ _again."_ **

"Creepy." Travis stated, trying not to look to unnerved.

"No kidding, imagine being possessed by the thing." Leo said with a frown.

"Do you even remember saying this stuff?" Chris asked.

"Not at first, but I remember bits and pieces." he admitted. "I don't like to think about it much. Being possessed isn't exactly my greatest memories."

**"Not here, you won't," Piper growled. "All three of you, listen carefully."**

**Jason and Percy turned toward her. Those gold eyes were unnerving, but seeing all three boys like that fueled Piper's anger.**

**"You will leave those bodies," she commanded.**

**_"No,"_ Percy said.**

**Leo let out a soft hiss. _"We must live."_**

"And we need our bodies, can't have both at the same time." Leo scowled.

**Frank fumbled for his bow. "Mars Almighty, that's creepy! Get out of here, spirits! Leave our friends alone!"**

"Frank, I know you're trying to help, but now's really not a good time to be directing their focus on to you." Annabeth said. They were just sitting there now, but who knows when they'll get tired of sitting and start wanting to fight?

**Leo turned toward him. _"You cannot command us, child of war. Your own life is fragile. Your soul could_ _burn at any moment."_**

The demigods frowned as Leo guiltily winced.

_Why did the eidolon saying that have to be in my body? Couldn't it be in Percy's or Jason's, ya'know, the two people who don't spontaneously combust into flames._ he inwardly groaned. No wonder Frank acted the way he did around him.

"What does he mean Frank's soul could burn at any moment?" Annabeth asked, eyebrows furrowing.

Leo sunk in his seat, hoping nobody would ask him. 

Naturally, his position looked too suspicious for the others not to notice.

Annabeth frowned at him.

"Do you know something?" she asked. 

"Uh..." Leo's eyes looked at the wall, his shoes, and the ceiling, before finally looking at her forehead. "...No."

Hermes slapped his own forehead.

Connor had a full body cringe.

Travis just sadly shook his head. "I would say you're lying, but I'm not even going to be generous and call it that."

"That was just painful," the god groaned.

"Dude, after the thirty seconds mark, the jigs up. Just tell the truth." Connor told him.

"I would. But it's not my secret to tell." he admitted, capping and uncapping his pen. "It's..." He started off like he wanted to add something else, but stopped himself short.

Annabeth groaned in annoyance.

The demigods looked disappointed.

_I hope we get to read a point-of-view from Frank._ she thought. _Maybe we'll get some answers from there._

**Piper wasn't sure what that meant, but Frank staggered like he'd been punched in the gut. He drew an arrow, his hands shaking.**

Annabeth's frown deepened at that.

**"I—I've faced down worse things than you. If you want a fight—"**

"No! Don't!" Percy exclaimed, face going pale.

**Next to her, Jason drew his sword.**

The readers tensed.

"Great, another fight. Is it too late to call Blackjack?" Travis said with a gulp.

**"Stop!" Piper ordered, but her voice quavered. She was rapidly losing faith in her plan...If she couldn't persuade them to leave, any bloodshed would be her fault. In the back of her mind, she could almost hear Gaea laughing.**

Lacy's breath hitched.

"Just calm down and try again." Annabeth said. She let out a shaky sigh. "You got this."

**"Listen to Piper." Hazel pointed at Jason's sword.**

Nico stiffened. _Careful, Hazel._

**The gold blade seemed to grow heavy in his hand. It clunked to the table and Jason sank back into his chair.**

A few people sighed with relief.

**Percy growled in a very un-Percy-like way.**

Said boy cringed.

**_"Daughter of Pluto, you may control gems and metals. You_ _do not control the dead."_ **

**..."Listen, eidolons," Hazel said sternly, "you do not belong here. I may not command you, but Piper does. Obey her."**

**She turned toward Piper, her expression clear: _Try again. You can do this._**

"Nobody talk. Just let her concentrate on getting rid of the eidolons." Annabeth muttered.

"Please, I don't think I can listen to much more of this." Percy pleaded.

**Piper mustered all her courage. She looked straight at Jason—straight into the eyes of the thing that was controlling him.**

**"You will leave those bodies," Piper repeated, even more forcefully.**

**Jason's face tightened. His forehead beaded with sweat. _"We—we will leave these bodies."_**

The readers sighed with relief. A few shared a couple smiles.

"I knew she could do it." Aphrodite beamed proudly.

**"You will vow on the River Styx never to return to this ship," Piper continued, "and never to possess any member of this crew."**

"Nice touch." Annabeth said, nodding her head in approval.

**Leo and Percy both hissed in protest.**

**"You will promise on the River Styx," Piper insisted.**

**A moment of tension—she could feel their wills fighting against hers. Then all three eidolons spoke in unison: _"We promise on the River Styx."_**

"That's one problem down!" Connor said cheerfully. 

"I'm glad that's taken care of." Percy said with a grin. 

"They won't be bothering us anymore." Annabeth said, relaxing.

Athena raised an eyebrow at them. "Do you really think it's that easy?"

The demigods hesitated, looking at each other, before turning their attention back to the goddess of wisdom.

Annabeth shifted uncomfortably. 

" _Yes..._ They swore on the River of Styx to stop possessing us." she said, hating that her voice sounded so uncertain. Piper's plan seemed foolproof when she had done it, but hearing the disbelief in her mother's voice, Annabeth was starting to doubt it. 

"Just because they swore on the River of Styx, doesn't mean they've given up easily." the goddess pointed out. "I'll admit, she did a very good job being specific with her wording, but there's a loophole in every promise."

Annabeth grimaced.

"You're right..." she admitted, mentally kicking herself. How could she start celebrating so soon? It was obvious things wouldn't be solved so easily.

_I bet Future Annabeth knew that..._ she thought, scowling.

"They're not possessing us again, without our bodies there isn't much they can do." Percy said, trying to cheer his girlfriend up. "Let's just take this as a win."

"Yeah..." Annabeth agreed, still looking disappointed.

**"You are dead," Piper said.**

**_"We are dead,"_ they agreed.**

"Now get out of here and don't come back." Percy said firmly.

**"Now, leave."**

**All three boys slumped forward.**

Will and Thalia stiffened.

"Somebody catch them!" Will pleaded urgently. "Jason and Percy are still recovering from head injuries!"

"Please don't let him fall on his head. Please don't let him fall on his head." Thalia quietly prayed.

**Percy fell face-first into his pizza.**

Will frowned.

"It shouldn't be that bad." he said with a defeated sigh. _At least it wasn't on the ground._

**"Percy!" Annabeth grabbed him.**

**Piper and Hazel caught Jason's arms as he slipped out of his chair.**

_Thank the gods._ Thalia thought. 

**Leo wasn't so lucky. He fell toward Frank, who made no attempt to intercept him. Leo hit the floor.**

"Really Frank?" Will said, not looking impressed.

"My hero." Leo deadpanned.

"Tough break." Travis said, trying not to laugh.

"That's terrible." Connor added, mouth twitching as he resisted the urge to smile.

**"Ow!" he groaned.**

**"Are you all right?" Hazel asked.**

"Would've been better if someone caught me, but I was fine." Leo said, twirling his pen.

**Leo pulled himself up. He had a piece of spaghetti in the shape of a 3 stuck to his forehead.**

The Stolls snickered.

**"Did it work?"**

**"It worked," [Piper]... "I don't think they'll be back."**

**Jason blinked. "Does that mean I can stop getting head injuries now?"**

"I hope so." Thalia said, crossing her arms. "I swear, every time we read a chapter, Jason has to have a head injury. It's like the Fates are trying to pull a record. 'How many concussions can we give Jason in a week?'"

"I know right, I never realized how often it happened until we started reading these." Leo remarked.

**... [Piper] "Come on, Lightning Boy. Let's get you some fresh air."**

**Piper and Jason walked back and forth along the deck. Jason was still wobbly, so Piper encouraged him to wrap his arm around her for support.**

Will frowned. _I hope she takes him to the Infirmary after._

**Leo stood at the helm... he knew from experience to give Jason and Piper some space.**

Aphrodite and her children giggled.

"Experience, huh?" the goddess laughed harder.

Leo shuddered. "Yeah, you never want to walk in on those two. An angry Piper is not someone you want to mess with."

**Since the satellite TV was up again, Coach Hedge was in his cabin happily catching up on his mixed martial arts cage matches...**

"That'll keep him busy for a while." Grover muttered

**T** **he other demigods were settling in for the night.**

"Finally," Will said. "After what happened, I think you guys should get a good night sleep."

"We earned it." Percy agreed.

**...The night was warm. The ship sailed along more smoothly than a dragon.**

**Best of all, they were flying away from Camp Jupiter as fast as they possibly could. No matter how dangerous the ancient lands were, Piper couldn't wait to get there. She hoped Jason was right that the Romans wouldn't follow them across the Atlantic.**

"Me too." Annabeth said. "The sooner they stop following us, the better."

**Jason stopped amidships and leaned against the rail. The moonlight turned his blond hair silver.** Celin rolled her eyes, but continued reading.

**"Thanks, Pipes," he said. "You saved me again."**

**He put his arm around her waist.** Celin made a face. **She thought about the day they'd fallen into the Grand Canyon—the first time she'd learned that Jason could control the air. He'd held her so tightly, she could feel his heartbeat.** The huntress resisted the urge to gag. **Then they'd stopped falling and floated in midair. Best. Boyfriend. Ever.**

"If you say so." Celin said. Her voice was drowned out over the daughters of Aphrodite shrieking in agreement.

Once they calmed down, she continued reading.

**She wanted to kiss him now,** Celin winced. **but something held her back.**

She let a sigh of relief as the Aphrodite kids groaned in disappointment.

**"I don't know if Percy will trust me anymore," she said. "Not after I let his horse knock him out."**

"After that, I trust you even more." Percy assured. "I need someone like you to have my back."

**Jason laughed. "Don't worry about that. Percy's a nice guy,**

Said boy grinned.

**but I get the feeling he needs a** **knock on the head every once in a while."**

"Hey!" Percy cried out in protest as the others laughed in agreement.

"Only a few." Thalia said in agreement. 

"I can think of a couple times you needed a knock on the head." Annabeth joked.

"Very funny. You guys should be comedians." he rolled his eyes.

**"You could have killed him."**

"Yeah right." the son of Poseidon said sarcastically.

"Could've, but you stopped him." Thalia said, ignoring Percy's comment.

**Jason's smile faded. "That wasn't me."**

**"But I almost let you," Piper said. "When Gaea said I had to choose, I hesitated and..."**

"But you didn't let that happen." Lacy reminded.

**She blinked, cursing herself for crying.**

**"Don't be so hard on yourself," Jason said. "You saved us both."**

Percy nodded in agreement.

**"But if two of our crew really have to die, a boy and a girl—"**

The demigods grimaced.

Percy frowned.

"We don't have to do anything, nobody's going to die on this quest." he said firmly, not noticing Leo's wince. "I won't let that happen."

_"We_ won't let that happen." Annabeth corrected. "We'll be a little banged up, but we'll get through this."

_You can't promise that._ the son of Hephaestus thought grimly.

"I hope you're right." Demeter said, not looking like she was buying it.

**"I don't accept that. We're going to stop Gaea. All seven of us are going to come back alive. I promise you."**

"Exactly." Percy agreed.

**Piper wished that he hadn't promised. The word only reminded her of the Prophecy of Seven: _an_ _oath to keep with a final breath._**

The readers paused at that.

Leo grimaced.

Thalia stiffened.

"That can't be it," she denied. "Doesn't an oath like that have to be stronger? Like a promise to return something? Or right a wrong? Jay's promise was more reassuring than anything."

Jake picked at the end of his bandage. 

"I dunno," he said hesitantly. "He kinda jinxed himself. People who usually say that nobody's going to die, are the first one's who do."

He shrank back at the glares Nyssa and a few others gave him.

"That's only in the movies, there's no such thing as jinxes. Not like that." his sister said sternly.

"Even if it's not a jinx, we don't know if his promise doesn't count." Jake insisted. Seeing a few people hesitate, he continued. "All it said was that a promise had to be made at the cost of the swearer's life. That could be any oath!"

The demigods started getting agitated. Before long, they broke out into a fight over if Jason's promise was the one in the prophecy or not.

"That doesn't mean this one counts!" Katie argued. "Won't something like swearing on the River of Styx be strong enough?"

"Not everything's about the River of Styx." Mitchell said, looking miserable. "The prophecy only mentioned an oath, it didn't say anything about the river."

"It doesn't count!" Annabeth cut in, fed up with the arguing. "That prophecy line probably doesn't mean what it says anyway."

"It might not even be someone we know." Percy added.

Leo fidgeted, but tried not to look too suspicious. He didn't want to make the same mistake twice.

_They don't need to know what the line really means._ he thought to himself, drumming his fingers on the notepad. _If I tell them this doesn't count, then they'll ask why and I'll have to say I'm the one who will make a promise with their final breath. Then they'll panic, then I'll have to explain my Master Plan...._ His frown deepened.

_Yeah, let's just keep quiet about that._ Leo played with the zipper on his jacket.

**Please, she thought, wondering if her mom, the goddess of love, could hear her. _Don't let it be_** _**Jason's final breath. If love means anything, don't take him away.** _

Aphrodite frowned.

"I'll do my best. But I can't make any promises." she said with a sigh.

**As soon as she had made the wish, she felt guilty. How could she stand to see Annabeth in that kind of pain if Percy died?**

Poseidon paled.

Annabeth felt her heart clench.

"I'll be fine." Percy told them, but even as he said it, he didn't sound as confident as he would like. He barely survived the Titan War. If it hadn't been for his friends or Luke's sacrifice, there was no way he would still be alive. He might not be so lucky this time.

**How could she live with herself if any of the seven demigods died?**

The readers winced.

Leo bit his lip. Crossing his arms, he stared off at nothing.

_I won't let that happen._ he thought with determination.

**Already, each of them had endured so much.**

"Too much for children..." Hestia said sadly.

The parents of said children winced.

"We hadn't been a big help either..." Hephaestus admitted guiltily. _I should've done more._  

The god sighed and ran a hand over his hair.

"It's not just you guys... The rest of us haven't been the best parents either." Hermes said with a grimace. _Just another reminder on how we're not as perfect as we think..._

The other gods recoiled at the truth.

 A few shifted uncomfortably and looked away.

"It won't make up for everything, but if you start making more of an effort this time, it'll show that you care." Percy told them.

The gods exchanged looks.

The room went awkwardly quiet before Celin kept reading.

**"The legend that Annabeth mentioned," she said, "about the Mark of Athena...why didn't you want to talk about it?"**

Annabeth perked up. 

Leo played with the buttons on his jacket.

**[Jason]..."Pipes, I don't know what's true and what's not. That legend...it could be really dangerous."**

_We're already on the run and about to face the most dangerous monsters in Greek mythology. How much more dangerous can it get?_ Annabeth thought impatiently.

**"For who?"**

**"All of us," he said grimly. "The story goes that the Romans stole something important from the Greeks, back in ancient times, when the Romans conquered the Greeks' cities."**

_It's just like Leo said._ Annabeth recalled.

**..."What did they steal?" she asked.**

The daughter of Athena leaned forward.

**"I don't know," he said. "I'm not sure anyone in the legion has ever known.**

Annabeth groaned in frustration. "Are you kidding me? Someone has to know something. Didn't the camp have ghosts? Shouldn't they have remembered raiding Greece and taking an important object?"

"Probably, but they might've not wanted to talk about it." Percy said.

**But according to the story, this thing was taken away to Rome and hidden there.**

_That's good. It's in the place that we have to go to._ Annabeth thought. _But it still would've been nice to find out what the object is._

**The children of Athena, Greek demigods, have hated us ever since. They've always stirred up their brethren against the Romans.**

"As they should." Athena nodded her head in approval.

Annabeth cringed at her words. _Does Mother expect me to do the same? Is that why we got into a fight?_

**Like I said, I don't know how much of that is true—"**

**"But why not just tell Annabeth?" Piper asked. "She's not going to suddenly hate you."**

"I would be more grateful than anything." Annabeth said. _I'd probably trust you more too._ she silently added.

**... [Jason] "I hope not. But the legend says that the children of Athena have been searching for this thing for millennia. Every generation, a few are chosen by the goddess to find it. Apparently, they're led to Rome by some sign...the Mark of Athena."**

**"If Annabeth is one of those searchers...we should help her."**

"Exactly!" Annabeth exclaimed.

**Jason hesitated. "Maybe. When we get closer to Rome, I'll tell her what little I know. Honest.**

"I hope so." Annabeth grumbled.

**But the story, at least the way I heard it—it claims that if the Greeks ever found what was stolen, they'd never forgive us. They'd destroy the legion and Rome, once and for all.**

Athena smiled.

"We wouldn't do that." Percy said with a frown.

**After what Nemesis told Leo, about Rome's being destroyed five days from now..."**

Athena's smile grew wider.

**Piper studied Jason's face. He was, without a doubt, the bravest person she'd ever known, but she realized he was afraid. This legend—the idea that it might tear apart their group and level a city—absolutely terrified him.**

"Maybe before, but things are different now." Percy swore.

**Piper wondered what could have been stolen from the Greeks that would be so important...**

"You and me both." Annabeth said, crossing her arms.

**"I'm sorry, by the way," Jason said.**

**Piper wiped the last tear from her face. "Sorry for what? It was the eidolon who attacked—"**

**"Not about that." The little scar on Jason's upper lip seemed to glow white in the moonlight. She'd always loved that scar. The imperfection made his face much more interesting.** Celin made a face.

"She _does_ realize he got that from trying to eat a stapler, right?" Thalia asked. "Was she awake to hear that?"

**"I was stupid to ask you to contact Reyna," he said. "I wasn't thinking."**

Aphrodite and her children nodded in agreement.

"It's good that he's apologizing." Lacy remarked. "That was really a dumb move."

**"Oh." Piper looked up at the clouds and wondered if her mother, Aphrodite, was somehow influencing him.**

"Maybe, that was a sudden change in perspective." the goddess of love said. 

"Maybe he blurted it out and regretted it." Lacy suggested.

**His apology seemed too good to be true.**

**_But don't stop,_ she thought.**

Aphrodite giggled.

**"Really, it's okay."**

**"It's just...I never felt that way toward Reyna," Jason said,**

A few of the Aphrodite girls sighed in relief.

**"so I didn't think about its making you uncomfortable. You've got nothing to worry about, Pipes."**

**"I wanted to hate her," Piper admitted. "I was so afraid you'd go back to Camp Jupiter."**

**Jason looked surprised. "That would never happen. Not unless you came with me. I promise."**

Thalia couldn't help but feel excited. _If he stays at Camp Half-Blood, I can see him more often._

She grinned.

**Piper held his hand. She managed a smile, but she was thinking: Another promise. An oath to keep with a final breath.**

That wiped the grin off of her face. 

The demigods stiffened.

"Why does she keep saying that?" Thalia said in exasperation and a hint of worry. "Jason's promise is not the one in the prophecy. It can't be!"

"She's just worried that's all." Annabeth told her.

"Nothing's going to happen to Jason." Percy promised. "Not while we're around to help him."

"Right!" Leo cheerfully said. "Don't worry Thalia, we got this!"

The daughter of Zeus relaxed at their assurances.

**She tried to put those thoughts out of her mind. She knew she should just enjoy this quiet moment with Jason. But as she looked over the side of the ship, she couldn't help remembering how much the prairie at night looked like dark water—like the drowning room she'd seen in the blade of her knife.**

Percy winced.

Poseidon grimaced as Thalia and Annabeth tensed.

_Why couldn't she have ended the chapter on a happy note._ Celin thought with a wince of her own. "Finished."

She wordlessly passed the book to Naomi.

The hunter frowned, but took it.

" **Percy XIII** ," she read, frown turning into a scowl.

_Great, I'm the one who gets the boy..._ Naomi inwardly groaned.

Once she said the name, everyone's heads snapped to look at her.

Leo and Annabeth's eyes widened in surprise.

Percy's jaw dropped.

"Wait, _me?!"_ he exclaimed, finally managing to find his voice. "You're joking right?! Please tell me this has to be some kind of joke!"

Naomi eyed the title in disgust. 

"I wish." she stated. "But no, this is in your point-of-view alright."

"This can't be happening..." he groaned, burying his head in his hands. "Why do the Fates hate me?"

A couple people snickered at his reaction.

"A chapter with all of Percy's thoughts..." Mitchell smiled. "I should've guessed, if Annabeth's going to have one, it only makes sense that he gets one too."

"How random do you think they're going to be?" Travis asked his brother.

"Random to the max." Connor assured him. "If he thinks half of the things that he blurts out, imagine the stuff that he manages to keep in his head."

This caused a round of laughter from the demigods.

Face turning red, Percy tried to brush off the teasing.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's just get this over with." he said begrudgingly. Annabeth gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"You'll be fine," she said soothingly. "It'll be hard, but I'll be right here to help you through it."

Percy just grimaced. He remembered when _he_ was the one saying something like that to _her._ How did the positions change so quickly and why did Nemesis decide to add his narrative to the story? He wasn't even a prideful person! He was powerful, sure, but not enough that he needed to be put down a peg!

"The first chapters are always the worst." Leo informed. "But once you're done with that, it'll get better."

"Great." Percy said with a defeated sigh.


	13. Percy XIII

" **Percy XIII** ," Naomi began. Her upper lip curled in disgust. _This is going to be painful, I just know it._

Percy winced.

"As if hearing it the first time wasn't bad enough..." he grumbled. Percy looked at his girlfriend. "How many are there again?"

"Four." she said sympathetically.

" _Four..._ " he repeated with a groan. Annabeth patted his slumped shoulder. "Four whole chapters."

Percy brushed his hair back and ignored the snickering around him.

**FORGET THE CHICKEN-NUGGET SMOKE SCREEN. Percy wanted Leo to invent an anti-dream hat.**

The demigods grew more serious at that.

"You had a demigod dream?" Poseidon worriedly frowned.

"I guess so..." Percy grimaced. _Great, a demigod dream to start off my chapter. Just what I wanted._

**That night he had horrible nightmares.**

Annabeth squeezed Percy's hand.

The god of the sea gave his son a look of concern.

**First he dreamed he was back in Alaska on the quest for the legion's eagle. He was hiking along a mountain road, but as soon as he stepped off the shoulder he was swallowed by the bog—muskeg, Hazel had called it.**

Percy frowned in confusion.

**He found himself choking in mud, unable to move or see or breathe. For the first time in his life, he understood what it was like to drown.**

Percy's eyes widened. His body stiffened.

" _What?"_ he exclaimed, more out of surprise and confusion than anything else. "This has to just be a nightmare, right? There's no way this could've happened. A bog, muskeg, whatever, has water in it, I should have some control over it!"

"Not with Dirt Face in charge." Leo said, remembering Percy talk about their quest. He had mentioned it as briefly as possible, like it didn't matter in the greater scheme of things. But judging by this nightmare, the moment was more traumatic than Percy wanted to admit.

"I don't know the details, but from what you told us about the quest, this dream was from time Gaea trapped you in a muskeg in... Seward? Hazel and Frank managed to get you out."

"Oh." Percy frowned. _That's it? I went through Titans, fought a giant, freed Death himself, and this is what I get a nightmare about?_

He sighed.

**It's just a dream, he told himself. I'll wake up. But that didn't make it any less terrifying. Percy had never been scared of water. It was his father's element. But since the muskeg experience, he'd developed a fear of suffocation. He could never admit this to anyone, but it had even made him nervous about going in the water.**

The demigods winced. A few gave him sympathetic glances. 

Thalia, Poseidon, and Annabeth grimaced.

"Really?" Percy groaned. He wasn't sure if he should feel embarrassed or annoyed. He was son of _Poseidon,_ the god of the sea! He could control water and had used it multiple times to save his life! He didn't have a problem with being afraid of suffocation, but it was an issue when it made him scared of his own element! What if it effected his powers?

"This is so stupid." he grumbled. Percy hadn't meant to say it so loudly, but everyone heard him.

"It's not stupid." Annabeth said firmly. "You've never drowned before, something like that must've been a terrible experience for you."

"Still, I shouldn't be nervous about the water!" he argued. "I've been around it my entire life! Other than Camp Half-Blood, my favorite place to go to was the beach in Montauk."

"You can't help what you're afraid of." Thalia told him. "You'll overcome this, I'm sure of it."

"I hope so." Percy said, still frowning. _I better get over this quick. I don't have time to be scared._

**He couldn't drown. But he also suspected that if he didn't control the fear, it might start controlling him.**

Percy winced.

_I was trying not to think of that but now that he mentioned it..._ Annabeth squeezed his hand. She tried to put on a brave face for him.

"That can't be possible." she said as confidently as she could. "Your body was made to breathe underwater. Remember when you first tried? You didn't have to do anything, you just breathed naturally."

"But what about my other powers?" Percy said. "What if this fear of suffocation turns into something more? What if it makes me afraid to use water?"

"It won't get to that point." Annabeth swore. "I'll help you before it gets any worse."

Percy rested his head in a hand. He still looked uncertain, but he didn't say anything.

The other demigods shifted uncomfortably.

"This isn't as fun as I thought it would be." Connor muttered to Travis.

"No kidding." he said with a sigh. "I hope things get a little better."

**He thought about his friend Thalia, who was scared of heights even though she was the daughter of the sky god. Her brother, Jason, could fly by summoning the winds. Thalia couldn't, maybe because she was too afraid to try. If Percy started to believe he could drown...**

"Don't compare your situation to mine." Thalia said gently. "You've always had a special connection with your powers."

_That's what makes this so dumb._ Percy thought.

**T** **he muskeg pressed against his chest. His lungs wanted to burst.**

Poseidon winced.

A few demigods grimaced.

_When am I finally going to wake up?_ he thought impatiently. _If I know it's a dream, why haven't I woken myself up yet?_

**Just when he couldn't hold his breath any longer, the dream changed.**

Percy and a few others sighed in relief.

_Finally. I was starting to think it'd never be over._

**He stood in a vast gloomy space like an underground parking garage...Freestanding braziers cast a dim red glow over the floor.**

The readers exchanged confused looks.

**...hanging from the ceiling were pulley systems, sandbags, and rows of dark theater lights. Piled around the chamber, wooden crates were labeled PROPS, WEAPONS, and COSTUMES. One read: ASSORTED ROCKET LAUNCHERS.**

Will frowned. 

"Where exactly is he?" the boy asked to no one in particular.

**Then he saw the giant...**

The readers tensed.

**or at least Percy guessed that he was a giant.**

"Is it a giant or not?" Clarisse said.

"I don't know. I haven't had this dream yet." Percy patiently replied.

**He was about twelve feet tall—** **a respectable height for a Cyclops, but only half as tall as other giants Percy had dealt with.** **He also looked more human than a typical giant, without the dragonlike legs of his larger kin...**

"Even though he doesn't have the dragon legs, he's still a giant right?" Percy said. "Who else would I be dreaming about?"

"Judging by the description, sounds like one of the twins." Hermes noted.

Ares gulped.

**He wore the largest black turtleneck Percy had ever seen, black pants, and black leather shoes with points so long and curly, they might have been jester slippers.**

Aphrodite made a face. "Those shoes have _got_ to go."

"They can't exactly get rid of them." Hermes said with a shrug. "They're the only kind of shoes that can hold those huge snake feet."

The demigods' heads snapped over to look at him.

" _Snake feet?"_ Connor repeated in disbelief. "First dragon legs then this? What was Gaea thinking when she made these guys?"

"Whatever it was, she obviously didn't care about looks." the goddess of love said with a shudder.

**He paced back and forth in front of a raised platform, examining a bronze jar about the size of Percy.**

Ares shuddered. Aphrodite rested her head on his shoulder.

Hades, Will, and the others stiffened.

Nico grimaced.

**"No, no, no," the giant muttered to himself. "Where's the splash? Where's the value?"**

The demigods briefly confused looks.

Dionysus rolled his eyes. _Still going for the show biz, I see._

**He yelled into the darkness, "Otis!"**

**...Another giant appeared out of the gloom. He wore exactly the same black outfit, right down to the curly shoes...**

**The first giant cursed. "Otis, why do you do this to me _every day? I told you I was wearing the black_ _turtleneck today. You could wear anything but the black turtleneck!_ "**

**Otis blinked as if he'd just woken up. "I thought you were wearing the yellow toga today."**

**"That was yesterday! When you showed up in the yellow toga!"**

Nico listened to the argument in disbelief.

_I'm slowly dying in that jar, and they're having a fight about outfits._ He knew they didn't care about his wellbeing, but it was still so disturbing to hear.

He felt a shiver run down his spine.

The others seemed to have the same thoughts.

"Are they seriously fighting over clothes?" Will said. He gritted his teeth and clenched his hands into fists.

"What the Hades is wrong with these guys?" Chris gulped.

**"Oh. Right. Sorry, Ephie."**

**His brother snarled. They had to be twins, because their faces were identically ugly.**

Travis laughed uneasily.

"Figures Percy would say that." he joked with a strained smile.

"What? It's true." the son of Poseidon said back, forcing a chuckle.

**"And don't call me Ephie," Ephie demanded.**

A few people grinned.

"And he calls him that anyway!" Travis snickered. "That Percy, such a rebel!"

"I didn't know his name!" Percy defended, his grin becoming more genuine.

**"Call me _Ephialtes_. That's my name. Or you can use my stage name: The BIG F!"**

"How 'bout 'no'." Nico said dryly.

Hermes cringed. " _Fates,_ he still kept that?

"Is it too late to change it?" Apollo asked, making a face.

**..."Nonsense! It's perfect.**

"If you say so..." Hermes said with a frown. "I'm not the one with the dumb stage name..."

**Now, how are the preparations coming along?"**

Annabeth perked up at that. _Preparations?_

**"Fine." Otis didn't sound very enthusiastic. "The man-eating tigers, the spinning blades...But I still think a few ballerinas would be nice."**

Annabeth blinked. "Are... are they serious?"

"Very." Dionysus stated.

"Where would they get those ballerinas?" Hestia said worriedly. _Don't tell me they would take innocent mortals?_

**"No ballerinas!" Ephialtes snapped. "And _this_ thing." He waved at the bronze jar in disgust.**

Hades narrowed his eyes.

**"What does it do? It's not exciting."**

"It does nothing. It's so boring. That's why you should let the demigod inside go free." Connor stage whispered.

**"But that's the whole point of the show. He dies unless the others rescue him.**

Nico winced. So he was used as bait. He had a feeling, but it still stung to hear.

**And if they arrive on schedule—"**

**"Oh, they'd better!" Ephialtes said. "July First, the Kalends of July, sacred to Juno.**

Form flickering, Hera's eyebrows raised in surprise.

**That's when Mother wants to destroy those stupid demigods and really rub it in Juno's face.**

" _What?!"_ the goddess hissed, glaring at the book. "How dare they!"

**Besides, I'm not paying overtime for those gladiator ghosts!"**

**"Well, then, they all die," Otis said, "and we start the destruction of Rome. Just like Mother wants. It'll be perfect. The crowd will love it. Roman ghosts adore this sort of thing."**

Percy frowned. "Why would _Roman_ ghosts enjoy watching the destruction of their home? I mean, I would get it if they were Greeks, but _Romans?"_

"Could be traitors." Nico suggested with a shrug.

**Ephialtes looked unconvinced. "But the jar just _stands_ there. Couldn't we suspend it above a fire, or dissolve it in a pool of acid or something?"**

Nico flinched. _Please don't make this more miserable for me than it has to be.._.

Hades scowled and glared daggers at the book.

Will squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath before letting it out.

**"We need him alive for a few more days," Otis reminded his brother. "Otherwise, the seven won't take the bait and rush to save him."**

**"Hmm. I suppose. I'd still like a little more screaming. This slow death is boring.**

"I don't know about that, you having a slow and agonizing death sounds entertaining to me." Hades said darkly. 

Everyone, even the gods, shuddered at his tone.

Hera, sitting at his right, discreetly moved closer to her husband. 

Naomi trembled a bit as she continued reading.

**Ah, well, what about our talented friend? Is she ready to receive her visitor?"**

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. _She?_

**Otis made a sour face. "I really don't like talking to her. She makes me nervous."**

**"But is she ready?"**

**"Yes," Otis said reluctantly. "She's been ready for centuries. No one will be removing _that_ statue."**

Athena sneered. "We'll see about that!"

Annabeth took in her mother's reaction and the giant's words.

_The thing that I'm looking for is a statue?_ she thought with a bewildered frown. _How big is it? What does it do? Why would the Romans take a statue? Is there something special about it?_

**"Excellent." Ephialtes rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "This is our big chance, my brother."**

**"That's what you said about our last stunt," Otis mumbled. "I was hanging in that block of ice suspended over the River Lethe for six months,** **and we didn't even get any media attention."**

**"This is different!" Ephialtes insisted. "We will set a new standard for entertainment! If Mother is pleased, we can write our own ticket to fame and fortune!"**

"Uh-huh." Dionysus said flatly.

"If you're trying to make a new form of entertainment, don't use the same jar stunt all over again." Hermes scoffed. "It was already lame the first time."

**..."Come," Ephialtes said. "Let's examine the tigers. I want to be sure they are hungry!"**

Leo searched through his pocket and fiddled with a few screws and bolts.

**The giants lumbered off into the gloom, and Percy turned toward the jar.**

**_I need to see inside,_ he thought.**

Nico bit his lip. He wasn't sure if he was ready to hear about his condition.

The readers waited with bated breath.

**The air in the jar smelled of stale breath and tarnished metal... Huddled next to it was a dejected-looking boy in tattered jeans, a black shirt, and an old aviator jacket. On his right hand, a silver skull ring glittered.**

**"Nico," Percy called. But the son of Hades couldn't hear him.**

**The container was completely sealed. The air was turning poisonous. Nico's eyes were closed, his breathing shallow. He appeared to be meditating. His face was pale, and thinner than Percy remembered.**

" _Oh my gods..."_ Will breathed, face paling. 

He and a few others were looking at the son of Hades with bemoaning expressions.

Hades stared off at nothing with a tight expression, his hands squeezing his armrests.

"How am I still alive?" Nico muttered, trying to ignore the looks he was getting.

**On the inner wall of the jar, it looked as though Nico had scratched three hash marks with his sword—maybe it had been three days that he'd been imprisoned?**

**It didn't seem possible he could have survived so long without suffocating. Even in a dream, Percy was already starting to feel panicky, struggling to get enough oxygen.**

Percy gritted his teeth. _Com'on really? I don't even need to breathe! It's just a dream!_

He rubbed his head.

**Then he noticed something between Nico's feet—a small collection of glistening objects no bigger than baby teeth.**

**Seeds, Percy realized. Pomegranate seeds. Three had been eaten and spit out. Five were still encased in dark red pulp.**

Hades and his son relaxed slightly.

Will frowned. "Why would you have that?"

"They're pomegranate seeds from the Underworld. They'll keep me from breathing in too much air in the jar." Nico explained. "It looks like I only have enough left for five days."

**"Nico," Percy said, "where is this place? We'll save you...."**

"We listened to this whole dream and we still have no clue where he is." Will groaned. He turned to Annabeth. "Did the giants say anything that gave you any ideas?"

She sadly shook her head. "None that I heard."

" _Great..."_ Will grumbled sarcastically. He crossed his arms and huffed.

"We'll figure out something." Annabeth said, raising an eyebrow at his actions. She's been through enough 'Missing Percy' incidents to know there's a difference between worrying as a _friend_ and worrying as a _something more._ Will clearly didn't see Nico as just a buddy.

_Would Nico be interested?_ she wondered idly. Annabeth never considered what type of person (girl or boy) the son of Hades would be attracted to. She always saw him as this lonely little kid, too focused on his own grief to be thinking about dating.

_I hope that changes._ she thought. _Bianca would've wanted him to move on._

**The image faded, and a girl's voice whispered: "Percy."**

**At first, Percy thought he was still asleep. When he'd lost his memory, he'd spent weeks dreaming about Annabeth, the only person he remembered from his past.**

_"Oooooo!"_ Aphrodite and a few  of her daughters sang.

Annabeth bit back a happy smile.

Percy turned red and looked away.

"Stop that!" he snapped.

**As his eyes opened and his vision cleared, he realized she was really there.**

**She was standing by his berth, smiling down at him.**

Leo paused in the middle of his tinkering, his eyes slowly widening.

_Oh no..._ he thought, stomach twisting. _Please gods, no... Nemesis, you can't do this to me. Are you actually going to make me sit through the Stables moment?_

He had known this was coming for a while now, but it didn't stop the growing horror in what was about to happen. It was funny in morning when Percy and Annabeth were getting chewed out by Coach Hedge, but he did _not_ need to know the details about what happened that night. What if the book has pages dedicated to descriptions on the couple making out? What if Percy was as corny as Annabeth and said something like 'her hair smelt like strawberries' or something else just as cheesy and gross? Who was he kidding? This was Lovestruck Percy Jackson, _of course_ he would say something that bad.

" _Urgh!"_ Leo cringed. Just thinking about it made him want to gag.

**...He remembered his first day at Camp Half-Blood, five years ago, when he'd woken from a daze and found Annabeth standing over him. She had said, _You drool when you sleep._**

The Stolls laughed. 

"She actually said that?" Travis said.

"Yeah." Percy and Annabeth shared a smile.

**She was sentimental that way.**

She bumped his shoulder.

"Are you sure _I'm_ the sentimental one." Annabeth teased.

" _Okay,_ I'm kinda sentimental too." Percy admitted, playfully rolling his eyes.

**"Wh—what's going on?" he asked. "Are we there?"**

**"No," she said, her voice low. "It's the middle of the night."**

The couple froze at that. So did the other readers.

Leo just stared at his shoes awkwardly. 

_"Oh my!"_ Aphrodite gasped excitedly.

Athena gave her a heated glare, before she turned to her daughter. 

"If it's the middle of the night, what are you doing in a _boy's_ room." she said in an even tone, her expression unreadable. The goddess fought back the sense of dread.

Annabeth was staring at the book with wide eyes, before she realized Athena was speaking to her.

She swallowed and turned her attention to the goddess.

"I... don't know..." Annabeth said, playing with her necklace. She wanted to scream at her future self to go back into her cabin, but she found herself unable to say anymore. 

_Maybe this is all a misunderstanding!_ she thought hurriedly. _I'm sure I had a very good reason to speak to Percy in the middle of the night! Not to make out with him or anything! But just to talk! Maybe I had a demigod dream too! And I wanted to talk to Percy about it!_

She frantically hoped she was right.

Percy had a hand over his eyes, refusing to say anything.

_Why is something so perfect turning into a nightmare?_ he wondered.

**"You mean..." Percy's heart started to race. He realized he was in his pajamas, in bed...No doubt he had a severe case of pillow hair and his breath didn't smell great.**

"Not that it matters!" the son of Poseidon said quickly as Aphrodite giggled.

"Better freshen up!" the goddess teased. Her laughter grew louder at the couple blushing.

**"You sneaked into my cabin?"**

"For a good reason!" Annabeth choked out.

Aphrodite nodded.

"I'm sure!" she said, giving the girl a wink.

"I hope so." Athena said.

**Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Percy, you'll be seventeen in two months. You can't seriously be worried about getting into trouble with Coach Hedge."**

Athena reared back in shock.

Annabeth recoiled at her future self's words. _Shut up Future Annabeth, haven't you caused me enough trouble?_

"The rules are there for a reason. It doesn't matter what age you are!" the goddess said sternly.

"They're practically adults, 'Thena! Let them live a little!" the goddess of love said dismissively.

"I think I've had enough out of you!" Athena snapped. Aphrodite just laughed in response. "And _you!"_ the goddess of wisdom snapped her attention to the surprisingly quiet god of the sea. "Aren't you going to say something?!"

Poseidon had his eyebrows raised to his hairline. He was staring at the ground with a far-off look. When Athena called him out, the god shrugged helplessly.

"I don't know what you want me to say..." he said simply. "Percy's not doing anything."

 "But he's not stopping this either!" she impatiently pointed out. 

" _Re-lax_ Athena, you're worked up over nothing!" the goddess of love soothed. "You'll give yourself wrinkles."

**"Besides, Seaweed Brain, I just thought we could take a walk. We haven't had any time to be together alone. I want to show you something—my favorite place aboard the ship."**

" _Ooooh!_ _Alone? In the middle of the night? In a special place of the ship_ " Aphrodite giggled. "This is getting interesting."

The goddess of wisdom winced.

"Where's Gleeson?" Athena cried. "Doesn't he do nightly rounds?"

Apollo blinked at that.

"Wow. You must be really desperate if you want Gleeson to come save the day." he said.

"Who can blame her?" Artemis grimaced, gripping her bow as if it were her lifeline.

**Percy's pulse was still in overdrive, but it wasn't from fear of getting into trouble.** Naomi cringed. She swallowed thickly as she read on.

**"Can I, you know, brush my teeth first?"**

"Sounds like a good idea!" Aphrodite practically chirped.

**"You'd better," Annabeth said. "Because I'm not kissing you until you do.**

Naomi winced. She looked like she was going to be sick. Around her, the other hunters were not doing much better. Some were pale, others had their eyes squeezed and were chanting 'ew' under their breath.

_I'm happy that they're happy, but I really didn't need to hear that. The whole 'salty lips' thing was bad enough._ Thalia thought with a gag.

Aphrodite rolled her eyes at the hunters' actions. _This is what happens when you isolate a group of girls from reality._

**And brush your hair while you're at it."**

**For a trireme, the ship was huge, but it still felt cozy to Percy—like his dorm building back at Yancy Academy, or any of the other boarding schools he'd gotten kicked out of.**

_Oh finally, a change in topic!_ Leo thought, grinning at the son of Poseidon.

"I'll take that as a compliment!" he said.

"You should!" Percy eagerly latched on to the conversation. "It was for troubled kids from rich families."

"Kinda like the Wilderness School?" It probably wasn't, but they had to keep the conversation moving. Anything to avoid hearing more of the chapter.

"Er... I guess..." Percy trailed off. He tried to fish for more topics, but his mind drew a blank. "Uh... So... What's your favorite subject in school?"

"Um... I dunno... I don't really have one." Leo lamely admitted. He tossed his screw up in the air before catching it. "I guess it would be Math since I'm good at it."

"Oh. I don't have a favorite subject right now either, but I used to love Latin when I was in Yancy Academy. I had a good teacher." Percy grinned.

"That's... good..." Leo said. What else could he say? The two stared at each other, both waiting for the other to keep the small talk going.

Silence.

 They both sighed in defeat.

"This isn't working." Leo said flatly.

" _I know._ That was the most awkward conversation I've had in a while." Percy sighed. "I was hoping we could keep talking until the end of the chapter."

"About what? _School?"_ the son of Hephaestus said incredulously. He shook his head. "We should've known our conversation was doomed from the start."

With little choice, the boys continued listening to Naomi read.

**Annabeth and he crept downstairs to the second deck, which Percy hadn't explored except for sickbay.**

**She led him past the engine room, which looked like a very dangerous, mechanized jungle gym, with pipes and pistons and tubes jutting from a central bronze sphere. Cables resembling giant metal noodles snaked across the floor and ran up the walls.**

**"How does that thing even work?" Percy asked.**

Leo perked up.

"That's a good question! We can talk about that if you want." the teen said.

Percy hesitated. On one hand he wanted to have a distraction from the reading, on another, he would have to listen to Leo talk in techno-babble he would never understand.

_Death by embarrassment or boredom...?_ He weighed the pros and cons.

"I'm actually not that interested. Sorry." Percy said with a sheepish smile.

Leo put his hands on his hips. 

"Wait, you'd rather listen to _this_ than talk about the Engine Room, the best room in the _Argo II?_ If you weren't interested, than why'd you bring it up in the book?"

"Probably just so he could hear the sound of Annabeth's voice!" Lacy teased.

"I did not!" he exclaimed, ears turning red.

_He totally did._ Leo shook his head. "Wow."

**"No idea," Annabeth said. "And I'm the only one besides Leo who can operate it."**

"Now this is just disappointing." Leo sighed. "I went over it with you."

"You can't expect me to remember everything!" Annabeth argued.

**"That's reassuring."**

**"It should be fine. It's only threatened to blow up once."**

"Who told?!" Leo exclaimed, before he groaned in realization. Piper, of course. She was Annabeth's best friend, she probably made it oul like it was some funny story. "She promised she wouldn't say anything."

**"You're kidding, I hope."**

**She smiled. "Come on."**

**They worked their way past the supply rooms and the armory. Toward the stern of the ship, they reached a set of wooden double doors that opened into a large stable...Lining the left wall were three empty horse stalls like the ones they used for pegasi back at camp. The right wall had two empty cages big enough for large zoo animals.**

Despite the situation, Annabeth couldn't help but smile.

"Doesn't this remind you of something?" she whispered to Percy.

He smiled back.

"The zoo truck in Las Vegas?"

"Exactly."

**In the center of the floor was a twenty-foot-square see-through panel. Far below, the night landscape whisked by—miles of dark countryside crisscrossed with illuminated highways like the strands of a web.**

"How cozy!" the goddess of love cooed.

**...Annabeth grabbed a blanket from the nearest stable gate and spread it across part of the glass floor. "Sit with me."**

Athena pinched the bridge of her nose, but remained silent.

**They relaxed on the blanket as if they were having a picnic, and watched the world go by below.**

"How romantic!" Lacy sighed. A few of her sisters nodded happily in agreement.

**"Leo built the stables so pegasi could come and go easily," Annabeth said. "Only he didn't realize that pegasi prefer to roam free, so the stables are always empty."**

"What a waste." Leo grumbled. "I spent _hours_ making this part of the ship and _this_ is what it's used for."

"At least it's not a total waste!" Aphrodite giggled.

"If this is the only use for it, then it's a complete waste." Athena stated.

**"What do you mean, come and go easily?" he asked. "Wouldn't a pegasus have to make it down two flights of stairs?"**

"Of course not." Leo said, waving a dismissive hand. "You're sitting on the doors."

Percy stiffened. "I'm sorry, we're _what?!"_

"Don't get your leotard twisted, Aqua Man. The bay doors won't open unless activated or if you brake them. And even then, that won't be easy enough to do on the first try." They're too sturdy." he added proudly.

**[Annabeth]... "These are bay doors, like on a bomber."**

**Percy gulped. "You mean we're sitting on doors? What if they opened?"**

**"I suppose we'd fall to our deaths. But they won't open. Most likely."**

"You'll be _fine."_ Leo stressed.

**"Great."**

**Annabeth laughed. "You know why I like it here? It's not just the view. What does this place remind you of?"**

**Percy looked around: the cages and stables, the Celestial bronze lamp hanging from the beam, the smell of hay, and of course Annabeth sitting close to him, her face ghostly and beautiful in the soft amber light.**

**"That zoo truck," Percy decided. "The one we took to Las Vegas."**

Leo blinked. 

"I'm sorry, but did you just compare my stables to a _zoo truck?!"_

Percy held up his hands in surrender. 

"It was a pretty nice zoo truck!" he said quickly in defense.

Grover looked at the son of Poseidon in disbelief.

"No it wasn't! It was smelly and cramped! They treated their poor animals like garbage! They gave them the wrong food, the zebra's mane was covered in bubble gum, and the antelope's antler had a balloon tied to... oh." he trailed off, noticing Percy pointedly gesturing back and forth between himself and Leo. "Er... I mean... _Yeah,_ it was the best zoo truck I ever stow awayed in... Heh...Heh.." 

"I'm not sure which is worse, the fact that Ella called my ship the _Titanic_ or that my stables reminds you guys of some abusive delivery truck." Leo huffed.

"If it makes you feel better, that memory is special to us. It happened on our first quest together." Annabeth comforted.

**"That was so long ago," Percy said. "We were in bad shape, struggling to get across the country to find that stupid lightning bolt,**

"It's not stupid!" Zeus snapped.

Poseidon rolled his eyes. "Percy, please don't insult the Almighty Lightning Bolt. Zeus get's sensitive about it."

The god of the skies glared at his brother.

" _Oh,_ you can comment on that, but you can't say anything about them sneaking away from their cabins, _in the middle of the night!"_ Athena stressed.

Poseidon's posture was more relaxed at this point. He shrugged at the goddess's comment. "They're just talking."

"They're going against the rules!" the goddess argued.

"It's not that serious." Aphrodite waved off.

**trapped in a truck with a bunch of mistreated animals. How can you be nostalgic for that?"**

**"Because, Seaweed Brain, it's the first time we really talked, you and me. I told you about my family, and..." She took out her camp necklace, strung with her dad's college ring and a colorful clay bead for each year at Camp Half-Blood. Now there was something else on the leather cord: a red coral pendant Percy had given her when they had started dating. He'd brought it from his father's palace at the bottom of the sea.**

" _Aaaaww!"_ the goddess of love cooed. Her daughters giggled, pushing each other back and forth.

"I think I'm going to cry." Lacy sniffed, blinking back happy tears.

"You guys are so embarrassing." Percy groaned, fighting back a blush.

Annabeth's ears were red, but she was beaming brighter than Apollo himself.

**"And," Annabeth continued, "it reminds me how long we've known each other. We were _twelve_ , Percy. Can you believe that?"**

"Hardly, that feels like so long ago." Percy commented.

"I know." Annabeth agreed.

**"No," he admitted. "So...you knew you liked me from that moment?"**

**She smirked. "I hated you at first. You annoyed me. Then I tolerated you for a few years. Then—"**

"That's not what you said in Annabeth II!" Connor sang, laughing along with Travis and Leo. 

"Yeah, yeah." Not even the Stolls' teasing could damper her mood at the moment,  she was still smiling.

**"Okay, fine."**

**She leaned over and kissed him: a good, proper kiss without anyone watching—no Romans anywhere, no screaming satyr chaperones.**

_Except everybody in this room._ Percy thought as Aphrodite and her children shrieked in excitement.

The other demigods started doing catcalls and wolf whistles.

Nico crossed his arms and pointedly glared at the ceiling. Athena was in the same position.

The hunters grimaced, but kept their comments to themselves.

**She pulled away. "I missed you, Percy."**

**Percy wanted to tell her the same thing, but it seemed too small a comment. While he had been on the Roman side, he'd kept himself alive almost solely by thinking of Annabeth. I missed you didn't really cover that.**

Annabeth was smiling so hard it hurt. She wanted to kiss him right now for saying that, but she kept her cool. _Now's not a good time._

Instead, she squeezed his hand.

" _Aaaaww_!" Aphrodite cooed. "I love this chapter!"

**He remembered earlier in the night, when Piper had forced the eidolon to leave his mind. Percy hadn't been aware of its presence until she had used her charmspeak. After the eidolon was gone, he felt as if a hot spike had been removed from his forehead. He hadn't realized how much pain he had been in until the spirit left. Then his thoughts became clearer. His soul settled comfortably back into his body.**

**Sitting here with Annabeth made him feel the same way. The past few months could have been one of his strange dreams. The events at Camp Jupiter seemed as fuzzy and unreal as that fight with Jason, when they had both been controlled by the eidolons.**

**Yet he didn't regret the time he'd spent at Camp Jupiter. It had opened his eyes in a lot of ways.**

**"Annabeth," he said hesitantly, "in New Rome, demigods can live their whole lives in peace.**

Annabeth froze at that. 

**Her expression turned guarded. "Reyna explained it to me. But, Percy, you belong at Camp Half-Blood. That other life—"**

**"I know," Percy said. "But while I was there, I saw so many demigods living without fear: kids going to college, couples getting married and raising families. There's nothing like that at Camp Half-Blood. I kept thinking about you and me...and maybe someday when this war with the giants is over..."**

" _Oh."_ Annabeth said, eyes widening in realization.

"I'm sorry!" Percy said quickly. "That was weird."

"No, it's okay." she said slowly, rubbing circles into his hand. "It's really sweet that you're thinking about this. I...I'm not against the idea."

Percy felt his face turn redder, but he found himself feeling lighter. He smiled broadly.

"I'm going to cry!" Lacy squeaked with a huge smile. She fanned herself as she furiously blinked back tears.

"I'm already crying!" one of her sisters blubbered. A brother pulled her into an one-armed hug.

"This can't be happening!" Athena grumbled. _They're too young to be talking about this! They just started dating!_

**..."I'm sorry," he said. "I just...I had to think of that to keep going. To give me hope. Forget I mentioned—"**

"Don't apologize." Annabeth said, bumping her shoulder against his.

**"No!" she said. "No, Percy. Gods, that's so sweet. It's just...we may have burned that bridge. If we can't repair things with the Romans—well, the two sets of demigods have never gotten along. That's why the gods kept us separate. I don't know if we could ever belong there."**

Annabeth frowned at that, her happy mood turning more serious at that. _Why did I have to say that? Why couldn't I just shut up and enjoy the moment? Wasn't it my idea to come here?_  

**Percy didn't want to argue, but he couldn't let go of the hope. It felt important—not just for Annabeth and him, but for all the other demigods. It had to be possible to belong in two different worlds at once. After all, that's what being a demigod was all about—not quite belonging in the mortal world or on Mount Olympus, but trying to make peace with both sides of their nature.**

"Right." Annabeth couldn't help but agree. "We'll fix this."

**Unfortunately, that got him thinking about the gods, the war they were facing, and his dream about the twins Ephialtes and Otis.**

Aphrodite and her children groaned. 

"Do we really have to talk about that _now?_ Can't it wait in the morning?" _I need more Percabeth damnit!_ the goddess whined.

"I think now would be a good time to bring it up." Nico said coolly.

The girls from the Aphrodite Cabin glared at him.

"Of course he'd say that." one whispered to another.

"Percy and Annabeth are too happy for him." a girl scowled. Her sister shook her head in disgust.

**"I was having a nightmare when you woke me up," he admitted.**

**He told Annabeth what he'd seen.**

**Even the most troubling parts didn't seem to surprise her. She shook her head sadly when he described Nico's imprisonment in the bronze jar. She got an angry glint in her eyes when he told her about the giants planning some sort of Rome-destroying extravaganza that would include their painful deaths as the opening event.**

**"Nico is the bait," she murmured.**

"Thanks. I didn't notice." Nico said sarcastically.

Annabeth blinked at his tone.

"Sorry." she said.

**"Gaea's forces must have captured him somehow. But we don't know exactly where they're holding him."**

**"Somewhere in Rome," Percy said.**

Annabeth blinked in surprise.

"How'd you figure that out?" she asked.

Percy shrugged. "Just a feeling, I guess."

**"** **Somewhere underground. They made it sound like Nico still had a few days to live, but I don't see how he could hold out so long with no oxygen."**

**"Five more days, according to Nemesis," Annabeth said. "The Kalends of July. At least the deadline makes sense now."**

**"What's a Kalends?"**

**Annabeth smirked, like she was pleased they were back in their old familiar pattern—Percy being ignorant, she herself explaining stuff.**

Percy playfully rolled his eyes at that. "Of course."

Annabeth couldn't help but giggle.

Nico rolled his eyes.

**"It's just the Roman term for the first of the month. That's where we get the word calendar. But how can Nico survive that long? We should talk to Hazel."**

**"Now?"**

As much as Nico would've wanted anything to stop this moment, he shook his head. "It's better to just let her sleep and say something in the morning."

**She hesitated. "No. It can wait until morning. I don't want to hit her with this news in the middle of the night."**

**"The giants mentioned a statue," Percy recalled. "And something about a talented friend who was guarding it. Whoever this friend was, she scared Otis. Anyone who can scare a giant..."**

**Annabeth gazed down at a highway snaking through dark hills. "Percy, have you seen Poseidon lately? Or had any kind of sign from him?"**

**He shook his head. "Not since...Wow. I guess I haven't thought about it. Not since the end of the Titan War. I saw him at Camp Half-Blood, but that was last August."**

Poseidon frowned in disappointment.

_It was probably for the best, I don't need him seeing me like that._ the god thought with a sigh.

**A sense of dread settled over him. "Why? Have you seen Athena?"**

**She didn't meet his eyes.**

Annabeth winced.

**"A few weeks ago," she admitted. "It...it wasn't good. She didn't seem like herself. Maybe it's the Greek/Roman schizophrenia that Nemesis described. I'm not sure. She said some hurtful things. She said I had failed her."**

"I _what?"_ Athena gasped, her eyes wide.

Annabeth recoiled. 

Percy pulled her into a hug.

"Annabeth..." her mother began. "You would never fail me. I know that you'll follow the Mark and find what's mine."

Her daughter let out a shaky sigh. "Yeah."

**"Failed her?" Percy wasn't sure he'd heard her right. Annabeth was the _perfect_ demigod child. ** **She was everything a daughter of Athena should be.** **  
**

"That's right." the goddess of wisdom nodded. "That's why I chose you."

**"How could you ever—?"**

**"I don't know," she said miserably. "On top of that, I've been having nightmares of my own. They don't make as much sense as yours."**

**Percy waited, but Annabeth didn't share any more details. He wanted to make her feel better and tell her it would be okay, but he knew he couldn't.**

"Thanks for trying." she whispered to him. Annabeth gave him a strained smile. "Some romantic night, huh?"

"It's fine." Percy told her. "I'd rather you talk about this than keep it bottled up."

She nodded. "Same for you too."

**He wanted to fix everything for both of them so they could have a happy ending. After all these years, even the cruelest gods would have to admit they deserved it.**

_Apparently not Nemesis._ Percy thought, giving the ceiling a sour look.

**But he had a gut feeling that there was nothing he could do to help Annabeth this time, other than simply _be_ there. _Wisdom's daughter walks alone._**

Percy held her tighter.

**He felt as trapped and helpless as when he'd sunk into the muskeg.**

**Annabeth managed a faint smile. "Some romantic evening, huh? No more bad things until the morning." She kissed him again.**

Aphrodite grinned.

**"We'll figure everything out. I've got you back. For now, that's all that matters."**

**"Right," Percy said. "No more talk about Gaea rising, Nico being held hostage, the world ending, the giants—"**

"Stop talking, sweetheart. You're ruining the mood." the goddess of love said patiently.

**"Shut up, Seaweed Brain," she ordered. "Just hold me for a while."**

**They sat together cuddling, enjoying each other's warmth.**

"I love this chapter!" Aphrodite sighed happily.

**Before Percy knew it, the drone of the ship's engine, the dim light, and the comfortable feeling of being with Annabeth made his eyes heavy, and he drifted to sleep.**

**When he woke, daylight was coming through the glass floor, and a boy's voice said, "Oh...You are in so much trouble."**

"Great." Percy groaned, as the other demigods snickered.

"Busted!" the Stolls chorused.

"What would Chiron say if he heard this?" Connor said, throwing an arm over his eyes.

"He'd probably faint, the poor guy!" Travis fanned himself. "Don't even think he'd make it through the whole chapter!"

"Forget about Chiron, they should be more worried about Coach Hedge!" Leo laughed. The others laughed harder at that.

"Finished." Naomi said, sighing with relief.

"Can we read this again?" Aphrodite asked.

" **No.** " Athena and the hunters said firmly. 

The goddess of love crossed her arms and pouted.

"I'll read next." Artemis said. Naomi gladly handed her the book.

" **Percy XIV** ,"


	14. Percy XIV

" **Percy XIV** ," Artemis read.

The demigods around Percy were snickering.

"I can't wait to hear the others' reaction." Travis said.

"Coach Hedge is going to flip!" Connor added, smiling widely. "You're going to be in _so_ much trouble!"

"I hope he doesn't use his baseball bat." Percy grimaced, earning more chuckles and giggles.

**PERCY HAD SEEN FRANK SURROUNDED by cannibal ogres, facing down an unkillable giant, and even unleashing Thanatos, the god of death. But he'd never seen Frank look as terrified as he did now, finding the two of them passed out in the stables.**

The whole room was filled with laughter, Aphrodite and Leo being the loudest.

"Poor Frank! He's too pure for his own good!" the goddess of love said.

"He was so lost! Like he couldn't believe they would sneak out in the middle of the night." Leo said, laughing harder as he remembered the boy's reaction.

**"What... ?" Percy rubbed his eyes. "Oh, we just fell asleep."**

"And kissed a couple times!" Aphrodite winked.

Artemis cringed. _Did she have to mention that?_

"He doesn't need to know that." Annabeth said quickly.

"Yeah. Some things are better left off unsaid." Percy hurriedly agreed.

**...Frank averted his eyes as if the sight of them together might burn him.** Artemis couldn't help but silently empathize with the boy.

Ares scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Man up, it isn't that bad."

"Frank is so adorable." Aphrodite giggled. 

**"Everyone thinks you've been kidnapped," he said.**

Percy and Annabeth guiltily winced.

"Sorry about that. You guys must've been so worried." Annabeth said.

"It's fine. It was worth it to see Frank's reaction." Leo grinned.

**"We've been scouring the ship. When Coach Hedge finds out—oh, gods, you've been here all night?"**

Annabeth cringed. "It's not as bad as it sounds."

"I can tell he and Hazel are still new to the whole relationship thing." Aphrodite smirked.

**"Frank!" Annabeth's ears were as red as strawberries. "We just came down here to talk. We fell asleep. Accidentally. That's it."**

**"Kissed a couple of times," Percy said.**

Annabeth glared at Percy.

"Not. Helping." she hissed over the others' laughter.

"Sorry!"

**..."We'd better..." Frank pointed to the stable doors. "Uh, we're supposed to meet for breakfast.** **Would you explain what you did—I mean didn't do?**

Annabeth grimaced. "We have to explain...?"

She knew the others deserved some sort of explanation, especially after they had thought something had happened to them, but the thought of doing so made her ears turn red.

_After what he said to Frank, I know I'll have to be the one who has to tell them._ she inwardly groaned.

**I mean... I really don't want that faun—I mean satyr—to kill me."**

"I would be more worried about Percy and Annabeth, if I were you." Travis snickered.

**Frank ran.**

The demigods burst out laughing.

"Oh my gods! Really?!" Connor exclaimed.

"Smooth!" Leo laughed.

"Was running really necessary?" Hermes chuckled.

"Poor Frank!" Aphrodite cackled.

Ares rolled his eyes at the boy's actions. 

**When everyone finally gathered in the mess hall, it wasn't quite as bad as Frank had feared.**

"We were just glad you were okay." Leo said.

Annabeth and Percy sighed with relief.

"So we didn't get in trouble?" the son of Poseidon said hopefully.

" _Pffft! No!_ Coach Hedge tore you apart!" Leo snickered.

Percy winced. _When he's says that, he meant a figure of speech, right?_ _  
_

**Jason and Piper were mostly relieved.** **Leo couldn't stop grinning and muttering, "Classic. Classic."**

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Glad you think it's funny."

"Don't act like it wasn't! If this was Jason and Piper, you'd be cracking up!" Leo happily pointed out.

**Only Hazel seemed scandalized, maybe because she was from the 1940s. She kept fanning her face and wouldn't meet Percy's eyes.**

"You too, Hazel?" Aphrodite giggled. "She still has so much to learn."

"She's fine the way she is." Hades said. He didn't even want to _think_ about Hazel and Frank sneaking out at night.

**Naturally, Coach Hedge went ballistic;**

Athena nodded her head in approval.

**but Percy found it hard to take the satyr seriously since he was barely five feet tall.**

The demigods snickered.

"Still has the bat though." Percy muttered.

**"Never in my life!" Coach bellowed, waving his bat and knocking over a plate of apples.**

Percy winced.

" _Geez,_ calm down!" Apollo chuckled.

"That's kind of overkill, don't you think?" Grover cringed.

**"Against the rules! Irresponsible!"**

_I honestly never expected this from Annabeth..._ Athena thought, shaking her head.

**"Coach," Annabeth said, "it was an accident. We were talking, and we fell asleep."**

"You shouldn't have been together that late in the first place." the goddess of wisdom pointed out.

"I know but we didn't do anything..." Annabeth sighed.

**"Besides," Percy said, "you're starting to sound like Terminus."**

Annabeth winced before turning to the son of Poseidon.

"Do you really have to antagonize him?" she asked with a glare. "Do you want another blow to the head?"

Percy grimaced at the idea. "Sorry."

**Hedge narrowed his eyes. "Is that an insult, Jackson? 'Cause I'll—I'll terminus you, buddy!"**

"Nice one!" Hermes chuckled.

**Percy tried not to laugh. "It won't happen again, Coach. I promise. Now, don't we have other things to discuss?"**

"Such disregard to authority..." Athena sniffed.

**Hedge fumed. "Fine! But I'm watching you, Jackson. And you, Annabeth Chase, I thought you had more sense—"**

_Please stop, one lecture from my mother is enough._ Annaebeth groaned. _Nothing even happened..._

**Jason cleared his throat. "So grab some food, everybody. Let's get started."**

Annabeth silently sighed with relief. _Thank you Jason._

**...He told them about his dream—the twin giants planning a reception for them in an underground parking lot with rocket launchers; Nico di Angelo trapped in a bronze jar, slowly dying from asphyxiation with pomegranate seeds at his feet.**

Will winced. "Couldn't you have put it in a better way? Especially with Hazel listening?"

Percy grimaced. "I should've."

**Hazel choked back a sob.** **"Nico... Oh, gods. The seeds."**

Nico sighed sadly. He hated to hear Hazel cry.

**"You know what they are?" Annabeth asked.**

**Hazel nodded. "He showed them to me once. They're from our stepmother's garden."**

**"Your step... oh," Percy said. "You mean Persephone."**

**Percy had met the wife of Hades once. She hadn't been exactly warm and sunny.**

"That's because she's trapped in the Underworld with the man who tricked her!" Demeter scowled.

Hades groaned. "I didn't trick her. I offered her the pomegranate and she accepted it. End of story."

"But did you tell her what it did?" the goddess angrily pressed. "Did you tell her eating food from the Underworld would keep her tied to that wretched miserable hole? Or did you keep your mouth shut and watch her unknowingly throw her life away, like the conniving worm you are?!"

"I am not arguing with you about this! I offered her the fruit and she accepted, that is the end of this discussion!" Hades snapped.

Demeter sneered in response.  

**He had also been to her Underworld garden—a creepy place full of crystal trees and flowers that bloomed blood red and ghost white.**

Hades briefly smiled as he thought back to his wife working in the garden.

Demeter's heart clenched.

"It reminds her of home." the goddess of harvest explained sadly to the others. She rested a hand over her cheek and released a heavy sigh.

"You'll see her again after we're finished reading this." Katie comforted her mother.

Demeter nodded, she held on to that reminder like a lifeline.

**..."The giants are trying to lure us," Annabeth said. "They're assuming we'll try to rescue him."**

Hades narrowed his eyes at the girl. "Assume?"

"We _are_ going to rescue him." Annabeth assured the god.

**"Well, they're right!" Hazel looked around the table, her confidence apparently crumbling. "Won't we?"**

"We're not going to leave Nico behind." Percy said firmly.

**"Hazel, of course we'll help him," Frank said. "But how long do we have before... uh, I mean, how long can Nico hold out?"**

_Nice save._ Annabeth thought. _That sentence could've been a disaster._

**"One seed a day," Hazel said miserably. "That's if he puts himself in a death trance."**

"Death Trance?" Travis frowned. "That sounds painful."

"It's painless, that worst thing it can do is put me to sleep." Nico explained.

**..."And he has five seeds left," Percy said. "That's five days, including today. The giants must have planned it that way, so we'd have to arrive by July first. Assuming Nico is hidden somewhere in Rome—"**

_I wish we knew that for sure..._ Will thought with a sigh.

**"That's not much time," Piper summed up. She put her hand on Hazel's shoulder. "We'll find him. At least we know what the lines of the prophecy mean now. 'Twins snuff out the angel's breath, who holds the key to endless death.' Your brother's last name: di Angelo. Angelo is Italian for 'angel.'"**

**"Oh, gods," Hazel muttered. "Nico..."**

**Percy stared at his jelly donut. He had a rocky history with Nico di Angelo. The guy had once tricked him into visiting Hades's palace, and Percy had ended up in a cell.**

Nico winced.

"That was more of my doing than his." Hades admitted, with a shrug. 

His son blinked up at him in surprise, but didn't comment as the goddess kept reading.

**But most of the time, Nico sided with the good guys. He certainly didn't deserve slow suffocation in a bronze jar, and Percy couldn't stand seeing Hazel in pain.**

"I don't think anybody can." Leo said, kicking a screw around with his foot.

**"We'll rescue him," he promised her. "We have to. The prophecy says he holds the key to endless death."**

Annabeth's eyes widened in realization. 

"You're right!" she gasped. 

Percy smiled. "I'm sorry, can you say that again?"

She snorted. "Don't let it get to your head, Seaweed Brain."

**"That's right," Piper said encouragingly. "Hazel, your brother went searching for the Doors of Death in the Underworld, right? He must've found them."**

"If the giants hadn't kidnapped me before I found anything." Nico said.

"You must've seen something. The prophecy says you hold the key." Annabeth pointed out.

**"He can tell us where the doors are," Percy said, "and how to close them."**

Annabeth nodded her head.

Nico twisted his ring, uncertain about that.

**Hazel took a deep breath. "Yes. Good."**

**"Uh..." Leo shifted in his chair. "One thing.** **The giants are expecting us to do this, right? So we're walking into a trap?"**

Leo froze in the mid-kick. He grimaced as he felt a sense of dread growing inside him.

"We don't have a choice." Annabeth reminded. "Maybe we can come up with a plan on how to gain the upper hand in the situation, but other than that, we're going to have to play along if we want Nico back."

"Uh... yeah..." he said, not meeting anyone's eyes. His reaction was met with a raised eyebrow form the daughter of Athena. 

**Hazel looked at Leo like he'd made a rude gesture. "We have no choice!"**

**"Don't get me wrong, Hazel. It's just that your brother, Nico... he knew about both camps, right?"**

**"Well, yes,"...**

**"He's been going back and forth," Leo said, "and he didn't tell either side."**

Hades glared at the son of Hephaestus.

"Just what are you implying?" the god growled lowly. "That my son is a _traitor?"_

He spat out those last words as he narrowed his eyes viciously. If looks could kill, Leo would've already been on a boat sailing down the River of Styx, listening to Charon complain about his low salary.

Leo reared back at his words. Nico? The same guy who was willing to shadow travel all over New York to find him? The same guy who called Dionysus 'the wine dude' and didn't know what _Power Rangers_ was? Had he seriously considered that guy to be a traitor? Leo knew the moment he saw Hazel's reaction his comment was stupid, but he hadn't realized _how_ stupid until he got to know the other boy.

_Damn, I messed up big time._ Leo grimaced.

"Well?!" the god snapped impatiently, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"I wasn't trying to say that. I just..." he hesitated. "Wasn't sure if we should trust him. But I do now!" Leo said quickly when the glare intensified. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that, especially when I knew Nico was in trouble." He turned to the son of Hades. "Sorry about that, man."

Nico was silently frowning during the whole conversation, but at his apology, he sighed.

"It's fine, it's not like my actions weren't suspicious. I just wish you didn't say that in front of Hazel. Who knows how she's going to react..."

Leo cringed. " _Yeah,_ I should've just shut up and ate my food."

**Jason sat forward, his expression grim. "You're wondering if we can trust the guy. So am I."**

Nico couldn't help but wince. _Really? Jason too?_

Leo, he could understand. The son of Hephaestus knew next to nothing about him and the only thing he _did_ know, was the fact that Nico kept his knowledge of both camps a secret.

But _Jason?_ Jason knew him. Not enough to be considered close, but Nico had always thought the guy regarded him as more of a person, not like a freak or some kind of bad omen like how the others saw him.

_Apparently not._ Nico's shoulders slumped.

"It's always _my_ children that have this kind of suspicion. If he was a child of _Zeus_ or _Poseidon_ , I bet they wouldn't be so quick to question his allegiance." Hades couldn't help but mutter bitterly.

**Hazel shot to her feet. "I don't believe this. He's my brother. He brought me back from the Underworld, and you don't want to help him?"**

"I mean... I didn't think about that." Leo admitted, untying his shoelace.

**Frank put his hand on her shoulder. "Nobody's saying that." He glared at Leo. "Nobody had better be saying that."**

**Leo blinked. "Look, guys. All I mean is—"**

**"Hazel," Jason said. "Leo is raising a fair point. I remember Nico from Camp Jupiter.**

_So he remembers me and he still thinks I would betray both sides?_   Nico's frown deepened.

**Now I find out he also visited Camp Half-Blood. That does strike me as... well, a little shady. Do we really know where his loyalties lie? We just have to be careful."**

Nico twisted his ring.

"Why haven't I said anything yet? Am I seriously just going to watch this all play out?" Percy said, making a face. _I've known Nico the longest, why aren't I speaking up on his behalf? I'm not mad at Nico at this point and I want to save him. So shouldn't I be doing a better job convincing Leo and Jason that he's not that type of person?_

Percy couldn't help but feel disappointed in his actions. Not only was he letting Nico down, but he was also letting Hazel down too. _I have to be the only person who screws up just by doing nothing._

**..."You... the great Jason Grace... the praetor I looked up to. You were supposed to be so fair, such a good leader. And now you..." Hazel stomped her foot and stormed out of the mess hall.**

"I don't know how you're going to do it, but you really need to apologize for that." Katie said.

"Yeah, we will." Leo said, tying the shoelaces.

"I can't believe I let this happen..." Percy muttered.

**"Hazel!" Leo called after her. "Ah, jeez. I should—"**

"No, it's better if she's just left alone right now." Nico spoke up. 

**"You've done enough," Frank growled. He got up to follow her, but Piper gestured for him to wait.**

**"Give her time," Piper advised. Then she frowned at Leo and Jason. "You guys, that was pretty cold."**

**Jason looked shocked. "Cold? I'm just being cautious!"**

"There's a time and place." Thalia pointed out. _And you just picked the worst time to say that._

The daughter of Zeus sighed. _How could he be so clueless?_

**"Her brother is dying," Piper said.**

Nico winced.

Hades and Will grimaced.

**...From up above came a whirring sound like a large drill.**

**"That's Festus," Leo said. "I've got him on autopilot, but we must be nearing Atlanta. I'll have to get up there... uh, assuming we know where to land."**

**Everyone turned to Percy.**

**Jason raised an eyebrow. "You're Captain Salt Water. Any ideas from the expert?"**

Percy furrowed his eyebrows. "Captain Salt Water?"

Leo gave a half-hearted laugh. "Not as good as 'Aquaman', but it'll do." 

**Was that resentment in his voice? Percy wondered if Jason was secretly miffed about the duel in Kansas.**

" _Gods,_ I hope not." Annabeth said. _Hearing them fight about it once was already enough, I don't want to hear them argue about it through the quest._

**Jason had joked about it, but Percy figured that they both harbored a little grudge.**

_Great._ Annabeth inwardly groaned.

**You couldn't put two demigods in a fight and not have them wonder who was stronger.**

_Wonder? I thought it was pretty clear who was winning._ Percy thought.

"Who cares about who's the strongest?" the daughter of Athena said. "We've got better things to focus on."

**"I'm not sure," he admitted. "Somewhere central, high up so we can get a good view of the city. Maybe a park with some woods? We don't want to land a warship in the middle of downtown. I doubt even the Mist could cover up something that huge."**

Annabeth nodded her head in approval. "Good idea."

"Yeah, I've been on a roll lately." Percy said with a grin.

"But where would be a good place to start looking for salt water?" Chris asked.

The son of Poseidon frowned. "I don't know, but I think I should be able to sense it if I walk around a bit."

**Leo nodded. "On it." He raced for the stairs.**

**Frank settled back in his chair uneasily. Percy felt bad for him. On the trip to Alaska, he had watched Hazel and Frank grow close. He knew how protective Frank felt toward her. He also noticed the baleful look Frank was giving Leo.**

"To be fair, I deserved it." Leo shrugged, bouncing his leg.

**He decided it might be a good idea to get Frank off the ship for a while.**

**"When we land, I'll scout around in Atlanta," Percy said. "Frank, I could use your help."**

**"You mean turn into a dragon again? Honestly, Percy, I don't want to spend the whole quest being everyone's flying taxi."**

**"No," Percy said. "I want you with me because you've got the blood of Poseidon. Maybe you can help me figure out where to find salt water. Besides, you're good in a fight."**

**That seemed to make Frank feel a little better. "Sure. I guess."**

**"Great," Percy said. "We should take one more. Annabeth—"**

Aphrodite giggled. "After what happened in the stables, you want to bring Annabeth too? This is going to be hilarious!"

"Poor Frank can't catch a break." Lacy said, giggling along with her mother.

"It won't be that bad. We're just going to be looking for Phorycs." Annabeth said, ignoring the snickers from Cabin Ten.

"And holding hands! And kissing!" the goddess of love eagerly suggested.

Artemis made a face.

Annabeth just rolled her eyes.

**"Oh, no!" Coach Hedge barked. "Young lady, you are _grounded_."** Artemis raised an eyebrow.

Aphrodite and her children stopped laughed. 

Percy blinked in confusion. 

Annabeth stared at the book in stunned silence.

"What?" she said finally.

_"Why?!"_ the goddess of love exclaimed.

"You know why." Athena said. "This is their punishment for breaking the rules."

While she agreed that their actions deserved consequences, the goddess of wisdom couldn't help but disagree with the punishment. Annabeth would have been useful when looking around for Phorycs.

"Because of the _stables?"_ Aphrodite said in disbelief. "Really? They didn't even make-out! It was cute, but let's be honest, that was very tame."

_That's tame to her?!_ Percy thought, head snapping in the goddess's direction.

"They broke the rules, Aphrodite." Athena said.

"Then send them to bed early, lecture them until they pass out from boredom, I don't care! I just think pulling Annabeth out of the trip is extreme. They broke the rules, but they're still on a quest." the goddess of love said, rolling her eyes. She crossed her arms and pouted. _And I really wanted to see how Frank would act around them after the stables incident. What a wasted opportunity!_

"Rules are rules." the goddess of wisdom said.

"Whatever, you know that this is extreme. You just don't want to admit it." Aphrodite grumbled. She blew a stray hair out of her face.

"So... If Annabeth's not going, then who's going to be the third person?" Percy asked.

**Annabeth stared at him like he was speaking a foreign language. "Excuse me?"**

**"You and Jackson are not going anywhere together!" Hedge insisted.**

Aphrodite heaved a heavy sigh and rolled her eyes. _People sure like to make a big deal out of nothing..._

**He glared at Percy, daring him to mouth off. "I'll go with Frank and Mr. Sneaky Jackson. The rest of you guard the ship and make sure Annabeth doesn't break any more rules!"**

"I should've known." Percy grumbled _._

**_Wonderful,_ Percy thought. _A boys' day out with Frank and a bloodthirsty satyr, to find salt water in a landlocked city._**

"He could still be useful." Grover tried to reassure. "Gleeson's heightened senses can help you find any salt water."

"I guess..." Percy agreed. _Still sucks that I couldn't bring Annabeth..._

**"This," he said, "is going to be so much fun."**

"If you say so..." Aphrodite said flatly.

"Finished with the chapter." Artemis said.

"I'll read next." Apollo volunteered, taking the book.

" **Percy XV** ,"


	15. Percy XV

" **Percy XV** ," Apollo read. 

**PERCY CLIMBED OUT ON DECK AND SAID, "WOW."**

**They had landed near the summit of a forested hill. A complex of white buildings, like a museum or a university, nestled in a grove of pines to the left. Below them spread the city of Atlanta—a cluster of brown and silver downtown skyscrapers two miles away, rising from what looked like an endless flat sprawl of highways, railroad tracks, houses, and green swathes of forest.**

Travis let out a low whistle. "Nice view."

Leo shrugged. "It was the tallest hill Festus and I could find."

"Still can't think of anywhere that would have salt water..." Chris said, listening carefully to the description.

"Could be somewhere in the city." Annabeth suggested. "Or maybe in those white buildings."

**... [Leo] "I just picked a tall hill. That's a presidential library or something over there. At least that's what Festus says."**

Annabeth perked up. 

"You should try checking there." she suggested to Percy.

He grinned. "Are you saying that because you think it'd have something to do with the _quest,_ or do you just want to hear about the things they have in the museum?"

She paused.

"...The museum." Annabeth begrudgingly admitted. Percy chuckled. "But they might know something about salt water in Atlanta!" she added defensively.

" _Sure._ " he teased.

**"I don't know about that!" Hedge barked. "But do you realize what happened on this hill? Frank Zhang, you should know!"** **  
**

****Frank flinched. "I should?"** **

Connor snickered. "Is Frank scared of Coach Hedge or something?"

"Well, he did run when he thought Gleeson was going to get mad about the stables situation." Apollo reminded with a grin.

"But that could be because of what he saw in the stables." Aphrodite pointed out with a small giggle.

**"A son of Ares stood here!" Hedge cried indignantly.**

**"I'm Roman...so Mars, actually."**

"Clearly." Ares snorted.

**"Whatever! Famous spot in the American Civil War!"**

"A son of Ares... Famous spot in the Civil War... Atlanta..." Annabeth muttered to herself. "General Sherman and the Burning of Atlanta?"

Clarisse nodded her head. "That's the one."

**"I'm Canadian, actually."**

"You can't win with him." Travis joked.

"Tough break, Coach." Connor added with a snicker.

**"** **Whatever! General Sherman, Union leader. He stood on this hill watching the city of Atlanta burn. Cut a path of destruction all the way from here to the sea. Burning, looting, pillaging—now there was a demigod!"**

Ares smirked. He puffed out his chest proudly.

"Of course he was." Grover sighed.

"Out of all the places, they have to land here?" Jake grimaced. "That can't be good luck."

Nyssa rolled her eyes. "It's just a coincidence."

**Frank inched away from the satyr. "Uh, okay."**

Ares's smirk turned into a scowl. He slumped in his throne.

" _Com'on,_ don't move away from him!" the god groaned, rolling his eyes. "If he's really scaring you that much, push him down the hill!" 

Clarisse gave her father a disapproving frown.

**Percy didn't care much about history, but he wondered whether landing here was a bad omen. He'd heard that most human civil wars started as fights between Greek and Roman demigods. Now they were standing on the site of one such battle. The entire city below them had been leveled on orders of a child of Ares.**

" _Exactly!"_ Jake readily agreed.

Nyssa eyed the son of Poseidon with disappointment.

"It's all in your heads." she told the boys. "There is no such thing as bad omen!"

"If there's such thing as monsters and gods, I think there's a possibility bad omen exists." her brother argued.

Nyssa sighed.

**Percy could imagine some of the kids at Camp Half-Blood giving such a command. Clarisse La Rue, for instance, wouldn't hesitate. But he couldn't imagine Frank being so harsh.**

"Of course he can't." Ares grumbled.

Clarisse shrugged. "Some people can't handle it."

**"Anyway," Percy said, "let's try not to burn down the city this time."**

"With you leading this? No promises." Thalia joked.

"Hey!" Percy said in mock hurt.

**The coach looked disappointed. "All right. But where to?"**

_Does he really have to be disappointed?_ Grover shook his head.

**Percy pointed toward downtown. "When in doubt, start in the middle."**

Annabeth beamed. 

_Yes!_ she silently cheered.

**...The three of them headed to the presidential library—which turned out to be the Carter Center—**

Annabeth smiled eagerly.

"I wish I was there." she said wistfully.

**and asked the staff if they could call a taxi or give them directions to the nearest bus stop. Percy could have summoned Blackjack, but he was reluctant to ask the pegasus for help so soon after their last disaster. Frank didn't want to polymorph into anything. And besides, Percy was kind of hoping to travel like a regular mortal for a change.**

"Sure, if you want to be _boring._ " Leo teased, drumming his fingers on his knee.

"I gotta have some normality in my life every once in a while." Percy played along. "It's the only thing that stops me from going crazy."

**One of the librarians, whose name was Esther, insisted on driving them personally.**

The demigods suddenly tensed. They stared at the book in disbelief.

Connor narrowed his eyes.

"What's wrong with her?" he said suspiciously. "She's too... _nice_..."

"She sounds like a monster." Annabeth said.

Hestia turned to them in shock.

"Or she could just be a good person?" the goddess suggested. She exchanged looks with the other gods. Some blinked back in confusion, others shared knowing grimaces.

The demigods shook their heads.

"No way, what kind of person just offers strangers a ride to the bus stop?" Travis said.

"Especially when they're in the middle of working." Katie agreed.

"This has to be a trap." Percy stated.

_Has this happened to them before?_ Hestia worriedly thought. 

The Olympians shifted uncomfortably. 

**She was so nice about it, Percy thought she must be a monster in disguise;** **but Hedge pulled him aside and assured him that Esther smelled like a normal human.**

The demigods blinked in surprise.

"Huh..." Will said, regarding the book as if it were a complicated puzzle. "I guess that Southern Hospitality thing is real."

"I guess..." Percy said, still looking uncertain. "That's good, it saves us the trip."

"Maybe she could tell you about any places with salt water." Annabeth suggested. She hesitated. "Or... you could walk around a bit, maybe you can find something here."

"Nice try, but I don't think Phorcys would be hanging around a library." Percy told her.

She groaned. "I can't believe I missed the opportunity to go!"

**They piled into Esther's big black Cadillac and drove toward downtown...She muscled her car through traffic while regaling them with stories about the crazy families of Atlanta—the old plantation owners, the founders of Coca-Cola,**

"Second best drink under wine." Dionysus added. He took a sip of his Diet Coke.

**the sports stars, and the CNN news people. She sounded so knowledgeable that Percy decided to try his luck.**

**"Uh, so, Esther," he said, "here's a hard question for you. Salt water in Atlanta. What's the first thing that comes to mind?"**

**The old lady chuckled. "Oh, sugar. That's easy. Whale sharks!"**

The readers exchanged confused looks.

"In Atlanta?" Katie said.

"The only place where I would think whale sharks would be is..." Annabeth's face lit up. "The aquarium! _Of course!"_

**..."At the aquarium, sugar," Esther said.**

_I knew it!_ Annabeth thought with a smirk.

"Phorcys in an aquarium? _Ha!_ He really has sunk rock bottom." Poseidon smiled.

**"Very famous! Right downtown. Is that where you wanted to go?"**

**"Yes," Percy said. "That's where we're going."**

**Esther dropped them at the main entrance, where a line was already forming. She insisted on giving them her cell phone number for emergencies, money for a taxi ride back to the Carter Center, and a jar of homemade peach preserves, which for some reason she kept in a box in her trunk. Frank stuck the jar in his backpack and thanked Esther, who had already switched from calling him sugar to son.**

"Wow." Travis said, eyes wide in surprise. "She even gave you food."

"She's a very kind woman." Hestia smiled.

"We got lucky this time." Percy said.

**As she drove away, Frank said, "Are all people in Atlanta that nice?"**

**Hedge grunted. "Hope not. I can't fight them if they're nice. Let's go beat up some whale sharks. They sound dangerous!"**

"They're actually harmless unless provoked." Grover corrected.

**It hadn't occurred to Percy that they might have to pay admission, or stand in line behind a bunch of families and kids from summer camps.**

"Do we even have money?" Percy frowned. "Like, _normal_ money? Or do they accept drachmas?"

"I don't even think you have that." Annabeth said.

**Looking at the elementary schoolers in their colorful T-shirts from various day camps, Percy felt a twinge of sadness. He should be at Camp Half-Blood right now, settling into his cabin for the summer, teaching sword-fighting lessons in the arena, planning pranks on the other counselors. These kids had no idea just how crazy a summer camp could be.**

_You  shouldn't have to go through this._ Poseidon grimaced.

Annabeth squeezed Percy's hand.

"We'll be back soon." she told him.

"Yeah, I hope so." he sighed.

**He sighed. "Well, I guess we wait in line. Anybody have money?"**

**Frank checked his pockets. "Three denarii from Camp Jupiter.**

"Denarii?" Chris frowned.

"Roman currency." Annabeth explained.

**Five dollars Canadian."**

"How much is that in U.S. currency?" Will asked.

"Not enough for three tickets into an aquarium." Nico said.

**Hedge patted his gym shorts and pulled out what he found. "Three quarters, two dimes, a rubber band and—score! A piece of celery."**

Lacy made a face. "How long has that been in there?"

"Do you really want to know?" Mitchell shuddered.

**He started munching on the celery, eyeing the change and the rubber band like they might be next.**

Aphrodite's nose scrunched up in disgust. "At least leave the change. You need all the money you can get."

**"Great," Percy said. His own pockets were empty except for his pen/sword, Riptide.**

" _Whelp!"_ Travis clapped his hands together. "You tried the honest way and that was admirable, but since it's not working..."

"Just sneak in." Connor finished with a mischievous smile.

Katie glared at them. "They can't just sneak into an aquarium!"

"Why not? This is a quest to save the world! They can bend the rules just this once." Travis said dismissively.

"I bent the rules and look where that got me." Annabeth grumbled under her breath.

"But how would we even get in? I don't think they left a back door unlocked or anything." Percy said.

"Easy! You're some of the volunteers from one of the elementary school day camps." Connor said. "You already got the colorful shirts and it's not like the chaperones would notice at first. Just stand in line behind them, say 'I'm with them' and duck in."

"And if you do run into a little trouble, just have Coach Hedge use the Mist." Travis added.

The others stared at them.

"Did you really just think of that?" Leo asked, breaking the silence.

The Stolls shrugged.

"It's pretty basic." Travis told him.

"Basic, yet effective, I like it! Good idea boys!" Hermes told them. His sons beamed in response.

**He was pondering whether or not they could sneak in somehow, when a woman in a blue-and-green Georgia Aquarium shirt came up to them, smiling brightly.**

**"Ah, VIP visitors!" She had perky dimpled cheeks, thick-framed glasses, braces, and frizzy black hair pulled to the sides in pigtails, so that even though she was probably in her late twenties, she looked like a schoolgirl nerd—sort of cute, but sort of odd. Along with her Georgia Aquarium polo shirt...Her name tag read KATE.**

Katie blinked.

Travis subconsciously glanced at her.

The other readers exchanged confused looks.

"VIP?" Chris frowned. "Does she think you're someone else?"

**"You have your payment, I see," she said. "Excellent!"**

"What? Frank's five Canadian dollars?" Will guessed. 

**...Kate scooped the three denarii out of Frank's hand. "Yes, that's fine. Right this way!"**

**She spun and trotted off toward the main entrance.**

"This is a trap." Percy concluded.

"Yup." Annabeth said.

"At least you're in now." Connor said weakly.

"Now you can find Phorcys." Lacy remarked.

**"She's not mortal," Hedge said, sniffing the air. "Probably some sort of goat-eating, demigod-** **destroying fiend from Tartarus."**

"Great. Can't get enough of them." Percy said sarcastically.

_Why does my name have to be similar to the monster's? Couldn't her name be something else? Like Karren? Or Kacey?_ Katie inwardly groaned.

**"No doubt," Percy agreed.**

**"Awesome." Hedge grinned. "Let's go."** Apollo chuckled.

**Kate got them past the ticket queue and into the aquarium with no problem.  
**

**"Right this way." Kate grinned at Percy. "It's a wonderful exhibit. You won't be disappointed. So rare we get VIPs."**

"And who exactly is 'we'?" Annabeth said. She racked her brain for who this 'Kate' person really was. _Does Phorcys own this aquarium?_

**"Uh, you mean demigods?" Frank asked.**

**[Kate]... "So over here is the cold-water experience, with your penguins and beluga whales and whatnot. And over there...well, those are some fish, obviously."**

Poseidon and Percy frowned.

"That's it?" Percy said. "Can't you tell us more?"

**For an aquarium worker, she didn't seem to know much or care much about the smaller fish. They passed one huge tank full of tropical species, and when Frank pointed to a particular fish and asked what it was, Kate said, "Oh, those are the yellow ones."**

"What an awesome tour guide!" Travis exclaimed. "I'm learning so much!"

" _Wow!_ I never knew there were _yellow_ fish in the sea!" Leo gasped, pretending to be in awe.

"What next? _Blue_ fish? Maybe if we're lucky, we might see some red ones!" Connor said eagerly.

The boys burst out laughing at their own jokes.

A couple people rolled their eyes at their antics.

**They passed the gift shop. Frank slowed down to check out a clearance table with clothes and toys.**

**"Take what you want," Kate told him.**

The Stolls stopped laughing and blinked in surprise.

"Wait, really?!" Connor said. "He can just take it for free?"

**..."Of course! You're a VIP!"**

"Kate's amazing!" Travis beamed. He turned to the daughter of Demeter with a smirk. "Why can't you be laid-back like Kate, _Katie?"_

"Kate's a monster." Katie deadpanned.

" _Oh geez!_ You let someone take some merchandise for free, and now you're suddenly a monster!" the son of Hermes said, feigning ignorance. "You're such a stickler for the rules, you need to learn to live a little!"

 "Really? And who's going to teach me that? You?" she raised an eyebrow.

Travis froze. His brain short-circuited.

"Uh..." he fumbled a bit. "Y-Yeah..." he pulled himself together and managed a grin. "Who better to teach you how to have fun, than Mister Fun himself!"

The boy inwardly cringed. _Mister Fun? Gods, why did I say that out loud?_

Katie snorted. At first, Travis thought it was in disdain or disbelief, but seeing the girl bit her lip, he realized she was holding back a laugh.

"Not only fun, but funny too." he said. "Comedy lessons cost extra."

Katie made a show of rolling her eyes. "Let's get the first lesson done before we try a different subject."

She turned her attention back to the reading.

Travis tried to do the same, only to have Connor clap a hand on his shoulder.

"Smooth, bro! For a minute there, I thought you were going to choke up!" he grinned, patting his shoulder.

"The 'Mister Fun' thing was corny, but hey it worked!" Leo happily added, rocking his chair.

Travis shrugged Connor's hand off and glared at the boys.

"You were listening in?" he snapped.

Connor rolled his eyes. "Dude, I had to. Someone has to save your butt in case things went wrong."

"Everybody else eavesdrops so I thought 'eh, why not'?" Leo shrugged. "Besides, you're sitting right next to me, how could I not listen in?"

"He has a point." Connor said. He glanced back at Katie before looking back at his brother. "So when's the date?"

Travis's face flushed. "What date? It's not a date! Nobody even called it that! Seriously, where'd you even get that idea?! Let's just start reading!"

He tried to ignore the snickering.

**Frank hesitated. Then he stuffed some T-shirts in his backpack.**

"Really Frank? That could be a trick." Annabeth sighed.

"Can't say I blame him." Hermes chuckled.

**"Dude," Percy said, "what are you doing?"**

**"She said I could," Frank whispered. "Besides, I need more clothes. I didn't pack for a long trip!"**

"What?" Clarisse said flatly.

"How long did he think this quest was going to be? A one-day trip?" Percy asked.

**He added a snow globe to his stash, which didn't seem like clothing to Percy.**

"What? She said take whatever you want!" Hermes laughed. "Might as well pick up a few souvenirs!"

**Then Frank picked up a braided cylinder about the size of a candy bar.**

Travis perked up.

"Chinese handcuffs!" he said with a nostalgic sigh. He nudged Connor. "Remember all the pranks we would do with those?"

"The good ol' days." his brother smiled.

**He squinted at it. "What is—?"**

"He's never heard of them?" Connor said in disbelief. "Don't they sell them in Canada?"

**"Chinese handcuffs," Percy said.**

**Frank, who was Chinese Canadian, looked offended. "How is this Chinese?"**

Connor scratched his head. "Er... I mean, it could've been made in a factory in China."

"I think he means culturally." Annabeth said with a frown.

**"I don't know," Percy said. "That's just what it's called. It's like a gag gift."**

**"Come along, boys!" Kate called from across the hall.**

**"I'll show you later," Percy promised.**

**Frank stuffed the handcuffs in his backpack, and they kept walking.**

**They passed through an acrylic tunnel. Fish swam over their heads, and Percy felt irrational panic building in his throat.**

Percy groaned. "Are you kidding me? I thought I wasn't afraid of the water!"

Annabeth and Poseidon grimaced. The others just frowned sympathetically.

_I knew it was going to get worse._ the boy heaved a sigh and brushed his hair back.

**...The real threat was Kate, he reminded himself. Hedge had already detected that she wasn't human. Any minute she might turn into some horrible creature and attack them. Unfortunately, Percy didn't see much choice but to play along with her VIP tour until they could find the sea god Phorcys, even if they were walking deeper into a trap.**

Poseidon gave his son a concerned look.

**They emerged in a viewing room awash with blue light...Cruising in circles were dozens of huge fish, including two spotted sharks, each twice Percy's size. They were fat and slow, with open mouths and no teeth.** **  
**

**"Whale sharks," Coach Hedge growled. "Now we shall battle to the death!"**

"He was serious about that?" Travis snickered.

"This is Coach Hedge we're talking about, of course he'd want to fight whale sharks!" Leo snickered.

"He'd fight anything that's willing to fight back." Clarisse added.

**Kate giggled. "Silly satyr. Whale sharks are peaceful. They only eat plankton."**

Percy shifted uncomfortably. "How does she know that Coach Hedge is a satyr? Isn't he disguised."

Annabeth nervously played with the ring on her necklace. 

"She could have sensed it." she suggested. "We know that Kate's not human."

**Percy scowled... The more Kate giggled and acted friendly, the more Percy didn't like her; but Coach Hedge didn't seem fazed.**

"He's probably waiting for the right time to attack." Clarisse said.

_If I hadn't heard how he fights, I might've been relieved to hear that._ Percy thought.

**"Peaceful sharks?" the coach said with disgust. "What's the point of that?"**

**Frank read the plaque next to the tank. "The only whale sharks in captivity in the world," he mused. "That's kind of amazing."**

**"Yes, and these are small," Kate said. "You should see some of my other babies out in the wild."**

"Your babies?" Annabeth picked up. "Do you mean pets? Or do you mean literally?"

"Either way, I don't want to meet them." Percy said with a frown.

**...He decided it was time to get to the point. He didn't want to go any farther into this aquarium than he had to.**

**"So, Kate," he said, "we're looking for a guy...I mean a god, named Phorcys. Would you happen to know him?"**

**Kate snorted. " _Know_ him? He's my brother. That's where we're going, sillies. The real exhibits are right through here."**

" _Wait..._ His sister... That must mean she's Keto, the mother of sea monsters." Annabeth realized.

Percy grimaced. "Do you think there's any chance that her babies will be in this aquarium?"

"Doubt it, Keto's too fond of her children to be putting them in tanks." Poseidon commented.

"But if they aren't in there, then what are the real exhibits?" Grover nervously said.

No one gave him an answer.

**She gestured at the far wall. The solid black surface rippled, and another tunnel appeared, leading through a luminous purple tank.**

The readers tensed. 

Percy gulped.

Leo searched through his tool belt.

**As soon as they entered, Coach Hedge whistled. "Now _that's_ interesting."**

_Oh gods._ Percy instantly thought. If Coach Hedge thought something was _interesting,_ chances are it was either going to kill them or play around with them before it eats them.

**Gliding above them were multicolored jellyfish the size of trash cans, each with hundreds of tentacles that looked like silky barbed wire.**

Percy hoped that was just a description and not foreshadowing anything. His mind imagined Keto ordering the jellyfish to break their tank open and electrocute him and his friends.

**One jellyfish had a paralyzed ten-foot-long swordfish tangled in its grasp. The jellyfish slowly wrapped its tendrils tighter and tighter around its prey.**

Percy tried not to think of himself in the fish's place.

"Can they really get that big?" Travis said in horrified awe.

"This is nothing! Lion's Mane Jellyfish can grow up to 120 feet long!" Poseidon bragged. "They're one of my more fun creations." 

**...Kate led them into an even larger chamber, lined with more aquariums. On one wall, a glowing red sign proclaimed: _DEATH IN THE DEEP SEAS! Sponsored by Monster Donut._**

 Percy felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. "You mean the giant jellyfish _weren't_ part of the real exhibit?"

"Apparently they're not enough for Keto's taste." Annabeth frowned. _Where is Phorcys already? She's only mentioned him once and there seems to be no sign of him anywhere._

Leo stopped in the middle of stacking Legos. He looked up at the book in confusion.

"Monster Donut?" he repeated. "The chain of doughnut shops? What do they have to do with Phorcys and Keto?"

"Monster Donut is closely tied with the life force of the Hydra and other monsters." the daughter of Athena explained, pushing back her growing sense of dread. "That's why there's so many of them and why they seem to pop up out of nowhere."

**[Percy]... "Monster Donut?"**

**"Oh, yes," Kate said. "One of our corporate sponsors."**

**Percy gulped. His last experience with Monster Donut hadn't been pleasant. It had involved acid-spitting serpent heads, much screaming, and a cannon.**

Clarisse, Annabeth, and Percy silently exchanged looks.

**In one aquarium, a dozen hippocampi—horses with the tails of fish—drifted aimlessly.**

Poseidon stiffened.

**He tried to speak with them, but they just floated around, occasionally bonking against the glass.**

**Their minds seemed addled.**

"This isn't right..." Percy scowled, body tensing. The hippocampi he's seen were always so lively and even if they weren't that smart, they never had problems with communicating with him.

"They've been drugged!" Poseidon growled fiercely, tightening the hold on his trident. "How dare they?! How on earth did they manage to kidnap subjects under _my_ jurisdiction! They're supposed to be banned from the ocean!"

**He turned and saw something even worse. At the bottom of a smaller tank, two Nereids—female sea spirits—sat cross-legged, facing each other, playing a game of Go Fish. They looked incredibly bored. Their long green hair floated listlessly around their faces. Their eyes were half closed.**

"We have to free them!" Percy said, balling his hands into fists. "They can't stay trapped like that!"

"But how would you save them? They're too far away from the ocean and I doubt Keto would give them up without a fight." Katie pointed out.

He faltered. "I don't know, but we can't leave them like this."

"Why does she even have them in tanks like this?" Grover asked.

**[Percy]..."How can you keep them here?"**

**"I know." Kate sighed. "They aren't very interesting. We tried to teach them some tricks, but with no luck, I'm afraid.**

"If they're that boring to you then just let them go." Percy said through gritted teeth.

**I think you'll like this tank over here much better."**

**..."Holy mother of goats!" cried Coach Hedge. "Look at these beauties!"**

"That has to be an act! There's no way he can actually be enjoying this!" Percy said.

"Calm down." Annabeth told him, rubbing his back. "You'll find a way to fix this."

The son of Poseidon forced himself to relax, but he still had a sour expression on his face.

**He was gawking at two sea serpents—thirty-foot-long monsters with glowing blue scales and jaws that could have bitten a whale shark in half. In another tank, peeking out from its cement cave, was a squid the size of an eighteen-wheeler, with a beak like a giant bolt cutter.**

"Is that a giant squid?!" Travis gasped. "How'd they manage to find a _giant squid?"_

"Good question, considering they're not allowed anywhere near my domain." Poseidon said testily, firmly gripping his trident. As soon as he returned to his kingdom, he was going to get to the bottom of this.

**A third tank held a dozen humanoid creatures with sleek seal bodies, doglike faces, and human hands.**

The demigods tensed. A few winced at the description.

_How did she even capture those?_ Percy thought with a shudder.

**They sat on the sand at the bottom of the tank, building things out of Legos,**

Leo blinked before glancing down at his own Lego tower. _Weird._

**though the creatures seemed just as dazed as the Nereids.**

Grover winced hearing that.

**"Are those—?" Percy struggled to form the question.**

**"Telkhines?" Kate said. "Yes! The only ones in captivity."**

**"But they fought for Kronos in the last war!" Percy said. "They're dangerous!"**

**Kate rolled her eyes. "Well, we couldn't call it 'Death in the Deep Seas' if these exhibits weren't dangerous.**

"The hippocampi and the Nereids aren't dangerous." Grover pointed out.

**Don't worry. We keep them well sedated."**

**"Sedated?" Frank asked. "Is that legal?"**

"Do you think she really cares?" Ares scoffed.

**Kate appeared not to have heard. She kept walking, pointing out other exhibits. Percy looked back at the telkhines. One was obviously a youngster. He was trying to make a sword out of Legos,** **but he seemed too groggy to put the pieces together.**

Hestia felt her heart clench.

Percy winced. Even if they sided with Kronos, they didn't deserve to spend all eternity being drugged up and kept in tanks. Especially not for Keto's amusement.

**"And _these_ sea monsters," Kate narrated up ahead, "can grow five hundred feet long in the deep ocean. They have over a thousand teeth. And these? Their favorite food is demigod—"**

Despite the situation, Leo couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Of course."

He knocked over his Lego tower and began building a castle.

**"Demigod?" Frank yelped.**

Ares groaned in annoyance.

**"But they will eat whales or small boats, too." Kate turned to Percy and blushed. "Sorry...I'm such a monster nerd! I'm sure you know all this, being the son of Poseidon, and all."**

"First Coach Hedge, now me?" Percy said, looking uneasy. "How does she know I'm a son of Poseidon? I never told her."

"She's a goddess, I'm sure she has her ways." Chris said.

"Plus, you do look like him." Lacy added.

That didn't make Percy smile like it normally would've, he just stiffly nodded his head. 

**..."Who are you?" he demanded. "Does Kate stand for something?"**

**"Kate?" She looked momentarily confused. Then she glanced at her name tag.**

"You mean she wasn't using that name as a cover?" Will frowned. "Then why is 'Kate' on her name tag?"

**"Oh..." She laughed. "No, it's—"**

**"Hello!" said a new voice, booming through the aquarium.**

The readers stiffened.

**A small man scuttled out of the darkness. He walked sideways on bowed legs like a crab, his back hunched, his arms raised on either side like he was holding invisible plates.**

Poseidon narrowed his eyes. " _Phorcys..."_

Percy frowned. "Um... Why is he walking like that?"

"He has a body similar to a crab. Giants are weird like that." Apollo said with a shrug.

"What took him so long to show up?" Annabeth couldn't help but wonder. "Why wait until now?"

"Something's not right..." Nico muttered worriedly.

" **He wore a wet suit that was several horrible shades of green. Glittery silver words printed down the side read: PORKY'S FOLLIES.** " Apollo couldn't say the name with a straight face. Pretty soon, he, Hermes, and Poseidon burst out laughing.

"Porky, it suits him!" the god of the sun smiled.

"He couldn't have picked that name on purpose! There must've been some kind of mix-up!" Hermes laughed.

"Whatever the reason is, I'm glad I found a good nickname out of it!" Poseidon said with a smirk.

With a small snicker, Apollo kept reading.

**A headset microphone was clamped over his greasy wiry hair.**  

Aphrodite winced.

"Just a few simple hair products could fix that." she said. "But that outfit needs to be burned."

**His eyes were milky blue, one higher than the other,** **and though he smiled, he didn't look friendly—more like his face was being peeled back in a wind tunnel.**

"That's just bad luck. Sorry sweetheart, not even I can fix that." Aphrodite said with a helpless shrug.

"I don't think he cares about his appearance as much as you do." Artemis said.

The goddess of love turned to her in shock.

"Of course he does! Nobody wears a _green_ wet suit and not care about their appearance." she said as if it were obvious. "He's clearly a flashy guy."

"He has to compensate somehow after losing his domain." Poseidon said, a bit too smugly.

**"Visitors!" the man said..."Welcome to** Porky's **Follies!"** Apollo snickered.

"That's not what he said." Athena said flatly.

"Phorcys, Porky, same thing." Poseidon said dismissively. 

**He swept his arms in one direction, as if directing their attention to an explosion. Nothing happened.** Apollo frowned. _...Huh. That's lame..._

The demigods exchanged confused looks.

"Um... what's he doing?" Connor asked. 

Nobody had the answer.

**"Curse it," the man grumbled. "Telkhines, that's your cue! I wave my hands, and you leap energetically in your tank, do a synchronized double spin, and land in pyramid formation. We practiced this!"**

"How can they when you drugged them!" Percy protested.

"That would've been pretty cool if they did it though." Travis admitted, earning a glare from the son of Poseidon.

"Or not cool!" he said quickly with a short laugh. "Forcing sea demons to do tricks is _not_ cool!"

**The sea demons paid him no attention.**

**Coach Hedge leaned toward the crab man and sniffed his glittery wet suit. " _Nice_ outfit."**

Aphrodite cringed. " _Please_ don't compliment him..."

**..."Thank you!" The man beamed. "I am Phorcys."**

**[Frank]... "Why does your suit say _Porky_?"**

"That Frank, always asking the right questions." Hermes chuckled.

**Phorcys snarled. "Stupid uniform company! They can't get anything right."**

**Kate tapped her name tag. "I told them my name was Keto. They misspelled it as Kate. My brother...well, now he's Porky."**

**"I am not!" the man snapped. "I'm not even a _little_ porky. **

"That's debatable." Poseidon said.

**The name doesn't work with Follies, either. What kind of show is called Porky's Follies? But you folks don't want to hear us complain. Behold, the wondrous majesty of the giant killer squid!"**

**He gestured dramatically toward the squid tank. This time, fireworks shot off in front of the glass right on cue,** **sending up geysers of golden sparkles. Music swelled from the loudspeakers. The lights brightened and revealed the wondrous majesty of an empty tank.**

****The squid had apparently skulked back into its cave.**   
**

Apollo shook his head. "Wow... This is just pathetic..."

"A complete waste of time." Poseidon agreed. "Percy, you should really ask Phorcys your questions before his monster show puts you to sleep."

"Why is he doing this in the first place?" Annabeth muttered. "It can't just be for showing off."

**"Curse it!" Phorcys yelled again. He wheeled on his sister. "Keto, training the squid was _your_ job. ** **Juggling, I said. Maybe a bit of flesh-rending for the finale. Is that too much to ask?"**

"Apparently it is for the squid." Connor shrugged.

**"He's shy," Keto said defensively. "Besides, each of his tentacles has sixty-two razorlike barbs that have to be sharpened daily." She turned toward Frank. "Did you know the monstrous squid is the only beast known to eat demigods whole, armor and all, without getting indigestion? It's true!"**

Chris made a face. "Can we skip the trivia and move on to the questions?"

A couple demigods muttered in agreement.

**Frank stumbled away from her, hugging his gut as if making sure he was still in one piece.**

The Stolls snickered.

Ares slapped his forehead and slowly dragged the hand down his face.

**"Keto!" Porky snapped—literally, since he clicked his fingers to his thumbs like crab claws.**

"How does that even work?" Will blinked.

"Just go with it." Nico said.

"It's better not to think about it." Apollo added.

**"You'll bore our guests with so much information. Less education, more entertainment! We've discussed this."**

"But they both suck! Can we just move on to the questions please?" Apollo asked.

**..."No buts! We're here to present 'Death in the Deep Seas!' Sponsored by Monster Donut!"**

Poseidon and a couple others groaned.

**..."Um, hold it," Percy said.**

_Oh thank the Fates._ Poseidon thought silently.

**Phorcys's smile melted in an ugly way. "Yes?"**

"With a face like that, it's a given." Aphrodite said.

**"You're a sea god, aren't you?" Percy asked. "Son of Gaea?"**

**The crab man sighed. "Five thousand years, and I'm still known as Gaea's little boy. Never mind that I'm one of the oldest sea gods in existence. Older than _your_ upstart father, by the way. **

Poseidon rolled his eyes.

**I'm god of the hidden depths! Lord of watery terrors! Father of a thousand monsters! But, no...nobody even knows me. I make one little mistake, supporting the Titans in their war, and I'm exiled from the ocean—to Atlanta, of all places."**

"You're lucky that's all we did." Poseidon said.

**"We thought the Olympians said _Atlantis_ ," Keto explained.** Apollo and Hermes chuckled. Poseidon and a few other gods couldn't help but smile in amusement.  **"Their idea of a joke, I guess, sending us here instead."**

"You have to admit, it is pretty funny." the god of the sun said with a grin.

**Percy narrowed his eyes. "And you're a goddess?"**

**"Keto, yes!" She smiled happily. "Goddess of sea monsters, naturally! Whales, sharks, squids, and other giant sea life, but my heart always belonged to the monsters. Did you know that young sea serpents can regurgitate the flesh of their victims and keep themselves fed for up to six years on the same meal? It's true!"**

"I could've lived my whole life without ever having to know that." Chris said, cringing.

Lacy and her siblings gagged.

**Frank was still clutching his stomach like he was going to be sick.**

Ares scoffed.

**Coach Hedge whistled. "Six years? That's fascinating."**

"Great, now she's going to want to tell us more facts." Mitchell groaned.

**"I know!" Keto beamed.**

**"And how exactly does a killer squid rend the flesh from its victims?" Hedge asked. "I _love_ nature."**

"Don't ask her questions!" Lacy pleaded.

**"Oh, well—"**

**"Stop!" Phorcys demanded. "You're ruining the show!**

"The show's been a disaster." Poseidon said.

**Now, witness our Nereid gladiators fight to the death!"**

The demigods groaned in annoyance.

**A mirrored disco ball descended into the Nereid exhibit, making the water dance with multicolored light. Two swords fell to the bottom and plunked in the sand. The Nereids ignored them and kept playing Go Fish.**

The readers didn't look surprised.

Poseidon pretended to yawn.

"I don't know why he was expecting anything different." Demeter said.

"Is this his first time opening the exhibit?" Hestia wondered.

**"Curse it!" Phorcys stomped his legs sideways.  
**

**Keto grimaced at Coach Hedge. "Don't mind Porky. He's _such_ a windbag. Come with me, my fine satyr. I'll show you full-color diagrams of the monsters' hunting habits."**

**"Excellent!"**

"No! Stay together!" Annabeth insisted.

**Before Percy could object, Keto led Coach Hedge away through a maze of aquarium glass, leaving Frank and him alone with the crabby sea god.**

Annabeth pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. Keto seemed to like him." Grover said.

"I'm more worried about why they're separating them in the first place." she said.

**A bead of sweat traced its way down Percy's neck. He exchanged a nervous look with Frank. This felt like a _divide-and-conquer_ strategy. **

"Looks that way." Annabeth agreed with a frown.

**He didn't see any way the encounter was going to end well. Part of him wanted to attack Phorcys now—at least that might give them the element of surprise—but they hadn't found out any useful information yet. Percy wasn't sure he could find Coach Hedge again.**

**He wasn't even sure he could find the exit.**

"I really hate this waiting game." Percy complained.

**...Percy tried to think, but he was starting to get a headache. He wasn't sure if it was from yesterday's head injury,** **Phorcys's special effects, or his sister's lectures on nauseating sea monster facts.**

"Hard to decide, it could be all three." Will said.

**"So..." he managed. "Dionysus sent us here."**

"Bacchus." Dionysus corrected with a wince. "There's a difference."

**..."Right." Percy tried to keep his annoyance in check. He could barely remember one name for each god. Two was pushing it.**

The god of wine rolled his eyes. "You say that but expect me to remember who you are and everyone else's."

"Isn't that your job as camp director?" Percy muttered.

**"The wine god. Whatever." He looked at Phorcys. "Bacchus said you might know what your mom Gaea is up to, and these twin giant brothers of yours—Ephialtes and Otis. And if you happen to know anything about this Mark of Athena—"**

Annabeth gave Percy a grateful smile.

"Thanks." she said.

He grinned back. "You would've done the same for me."

"I'm not sure how much he'd be willing to tell you, but it's worth a try." Athena said.

**"Bacchus thought I would help you?" Phorcys asked.**

Dionysus shrugged. "Don't know why, you definitely wouldn't have been my first choice."

**"Well, yeah," Percy said. "I mean, you're Phorcys. Everybody talks about you."**

"Now that's a lie." Poseidon said, crossing his arms.

"I have to butter him up if I want to get some information out of him." Percy defended.

**Phorcys tilted his head so that his mismatched eyes almost lined up. "They do?"**

"He's actually buying it?" Poseidon rolled his eyes.

**"Of course. Don't they, Frank?"**

**"Oh...sure!" Frank said. "People talk about you all the time."**

**"What do they say?" the god asked.**

"Oh great. Now you want me to get into details? Can't you just be happy that people still talk about you?" Percy groaned.

"Guess not." Nico said.

**Frank looked uncomfortable. "Well, you have great pyrotechnics. And a good announcer's voice. And, um, a disco ball—"** Apollo cringed. "If he didn't know you were lying before, he does now."

"I know!" Hermes winced in agreement. "Now would've been the perfect time to tell an overexaggerated story. Say that he was remembered as a fearsome sea god and the father of all sea monsters. Sailors often were afraid of encountering him on their journey. Blah, blah, blah. He would've eaten that up."

"Hard to think up a story when you're put on a spot." Percy said.

**"It's true!" Phorcys clacked his fingers and thumbs excitedly. "I also have the largest collection of captive sea monsters in the world!"**

"Looks like they don't need to tell a story." Poseidon noted. _Is he really that desperate for compliments?_

**"And you _know_ stuff," Percy added. "Like about the twins and what they're up to."**

"Nice segue." Annabeth nodded her head in approval.

"I try." Percy shrugged modestly.

**"The twins!" Phorcys made his voice echo. Sparklers blazed to life in front of the sea serpent tank.**

"Overdramatic much?" Poseidon grumbled under his breath.

**"Yes, I know all about Ephialtes and Otis. Those wannabes! They never fit in with the other giants. Too puny—and those snakes for feet."**

**... [Percy] "Snakes for feet?"**

**"Yes, yes," Phorcys said impatiently. "They knew they couldn't get by on their strength, so they decided to go for drama—illusions, stage tricks, that sort of thing. You see, Gaea _shaped_ her giant children with specific enemies in mind. Each giant was born to kill a certain god. Ephialtes and Otis...well, together they were sort of the anti-Dionysus."**

**Percy tried to wrap his mind around that idea. "So...they want to replace all wine with cranberry juice or something?"** Apollo chuckled.

Dionysus rolled his eyes. "I'm not just the god of wine. I'm also the god of _parties._ They're clearly trying to come with a performance that'll not only outshine me but defeat me in the most humiliating way possible." the god snorted. "As if that'll ever happen."

**...Frank glanced at the sparklers. "By using stuff like fireworks and disco balls?"**

**Phorcys's mouth stretched into that wind tunnel smile. "Exactly! I taught the twins everything they know,**

"We can tell." Poseidon said. 

"- **or at least I tried to. They never listened. Their first big trick? They tried to reach Olympus by piling mountains on top of one another.** Oh yeah! I remember that one!" Apollo laughed. "It was so dumb! Seriously, how did they think that was going to work?"

"Clearly they weren't made with brains." Artemis said with a sigh.

**It was just an illusion, of course. I told them it was ridiculous. 'You should start small,' I said. 'Sawing each other in half, pulling gorgons out of a hat. That sort of thing. And matching sequined outfits. Twins need those!'"** Apollo beamed. "He has a point! We should wear matching outfits, Artie!"

"How about we shouldn't." the goddess said. "And don't call me that."

"Com'on, it would be fun! Just for a day?"

"No."

"We could do it during a solstice! We'll have matching T-Shirts with hats and everything!"

Artemis cringed. "Out of all the days, you'd pick the solstice?"

"Well, when else are we together? I barely see you, sis." the god pouted. " _Please."_

She hesitated. "I'll think about it."  

" _Yes!"_ Apollo cheered.

"I said 'I'll think about it'." Artemis reminded.

"That's a 'yes' for you." he said happily. The god went back to reading.

**"Good advice," Percy agreed. "And now the twins are—"**

**"Oh, preparing for their doomsday show in Rome," Phorcys sneered. "It's one of Mother's silly ideas. They're keeping some prisoner in a large bronze jar." He turned toward Frank. "You're a child of Ares, aren't you? You've got that smell. The twins imprisoned your father the same way, once."**

Ares winced. _I'm going to kill that crab._

"It was pretty bad, we didn't know where he was for the longest time." Hermes mused.

"We were so worried." Aphrodite said, patting her boyfriend's arm.

None of the other Olympians looked like they agreed, but didn't bother to argue with her.

**"Child of Mars," Frank corrected. "Wait...these giants trapped my dad in a bronze jar?"**

"It was all luck." Ares immediately defended. He tried not to remember the stale air, the feelings of isolation and paranoia in his confinement.

The god swallowed thickly and suppressed a shudder.

**"Yes, another stupid stunt," said the sea god. "How can you show off your prisoner if he's in a bronze jar?** **  
**

"They should really try a different shtick." Hermes remarked.

**N** **o entertainment value. Not like my lovely specimens!"**

"More like your captives..." Poseidon muttered angrily.

**He gestured to the hippocampi, who were bonking their heads apathetically against the glass.**

Poseidon squeezed his trident.

**Percy tried to think. He felt like the lethargy of the addled sea creatures was starting to affect him.**

The readers frowned at this.

Poseidon and Annabeth shot him worried looks.

"I can handle it." Percy assured.

**"You said this—this doomsday show was Gaea's idea?"**

**"Well...Mother's plans always have lots of layers." He laughed. "The earth has layers! I suppose that makes sense!"**

Apollo and Leo couldn't help but laugh.

"That was terrible." the son of Hephaestus snickered.

"But it's so bad, it's good." Apollo said.

A few people rolled their eyes.

"Just keep reading." Hera told the god. 

Apollo made a face at her, but complied.

**"Uh-huh," Percy said. "And so her plan..."**

**"Oh, she's put out a general bounty on some group of demigods," Phorcys said.**

The readers stiffened.

"She _what?"_ Percy asked.

"Great. As if this quest wasn't hard enough with the Romans chasing us, now we have even _more_ people determined to capture us." Annabeth brushed her hair back.

**"She doesn't really care who kills them, as long as they're killed.**

The readers winced.

**Well...I take that back. She was very specific that two must be spared. One boy and one girl. Tartarus only knows why. At any rate, the twins have their little show planned, hoping it will lure these demigods to Rome. I suppose the prisoner in the jar is a friend of theirs or some such.**

Nico grimaced.

**That, or perhaps they think this group of demigods will be foolish enough to come into their territory searching for the Mark of Athena."**

Annabeth scowled.

**Phorcys elbowed Frank in the ribs. "Ha! Good luck with that, eh?"**

"Uh... Yeah... Hahaha." Travis laughed nervously. He gulped. "He's onto you."

"I think he was onto us from the start." Percy grimaced.

**Frank laughed nervously. "Yeah. Ha-ha. That would be really dumb because, uh..."**

**Phorcys narrowed his eyes.**

"Alright, I think you've gotten enough questions. Maybe you should leave now..." Poseidon hurriedly urged.

**Percy slipped his hand into his pocket. He closed his fingers around Riptide. Even this old sea god must be smart enough to realize they were the demigods with the bounty on their heads.**

Tension filled the air.

**But Phorcys just grinned and elbowed Frank again. "Ha! Good one, child of Mars. I suppose you're right. No point talking about it. Even if the demigods found that map in Charleston, they'd never make it to Rome alive!"**

_A map?_ Annabeth picked up. _What is it for?_

**"Yes _,_ the _MAP IN CHARLESTON,"_ Frank said loudly, giving Percy a wide-eyed look to make sure he hadn't missed the information. He couldn't have been more obvious if he had held up a large sign that read CLUE!!!!!**

The Stolls couldn't help but nervously snicker.

"Calm down Frank, we heard it." Annabeth said with a cringe.

"We know that Phorcys knows the truth, but that doesn't mean you make it obvious..." Hermes sighed.

**"But enough boring educational stuff!" Phorcys said. "You've paid for the VIP treatment. Won't you please let me finish the tour? The three denarii entrance fee is nonrefundable, you know."**

"You really should leave..." Annabeth said.

"But we can't go anywhere without Coach Hedge." Percy reminded. "Besides, I still have to help those sea monsters."

She frowned but knew he had a point.

**Percy wasn't excited about more fireworks, donut-scented smoke, or depressing captive sea creatures. But he glanced at Frank and decided they'd better humor the crabby old god, at least until they found Coach Hedge and got safely to the exit. Besides, they might be able to get more information out of Phorcys.**

"I hope you're right." Annabeth muttered.

**"Afterward," Percy said, "can we ask questions?"**

**"Of course! I'll tell you everything you need to know." Phorcys clapped his hands twice. On the wall under the glowing red sign, a new tunnel appeared, leading into another tank.**

The readers exchanged uneasy.

**"Walk this way!" Phorcys scuttled sideways through the tunnel.**

**Frank scratched his head. "Do we have to—?" He turned sideways.**

"Not literally!" Leo snickered as Ares inwardly groaned.

**"It's just a figure of speech, man," Percy said. "Come on."**

_This is going to end badly, I just know it..._ Poseidon grimaced.

"Finished." Apollo said. 

"I'll read next." Hermes said, taking the book. 

" **Percy XVI** ,"


	16. Percy XVI

" **Percy XVI** ," Hermes read.

**THE TUNNEL RAN ALONG THE FLOOR of a gymnasium-sized tank. Except for water and some cheap decorations, it seemed majestically empty.**

The readers frowned.

"That's weird..." Percy said cautiously. "No giant octopus? Three-headed sea turtle? Just an empty tank. You'd think he'd have something in here to show off."

"Maybe it's hiding." Annabeth suggested, gripping her necklace.

**Percy guessed there were about fifty thousand gallons of water over their heads. If the tunnel were to shatter for some reason...**

_Then nothing would happen because I can breath under water._ Percy told himself firmly.

**But his heart was pounding. He remembered sinking into the cold Alaskan bog—black mud  
covering his eyes, mouth, and nose.**

Percy let out an annoyed sigh.

Annabeth reached out and took his hand. He wanted to remind her that he wasn't afraid of suffocation like his future self, but stopped himself short.

Instead, Percy squeezed her hand back. 

**Phorcys stopped in the middle of the tunnel and spread his arms proudly. "Beautiful exhibit, isn't it?"**

"It's kinda empty." Leo pointed out. He knocked over his castle and took apart the remaining sturdy pieces.

"What exactly are they supposed to be looking at?" Connor wondered with a frown.

**...In one corner of the tank, snuggled in a forest of fake kelp, was a life-sized plastic gingerbread cottage with bubbles coming out of the chimney. In the opposite corner, a plastic sculpture of a guy in an old-fashioned diving suit knelt beside a treasure chest, which popped open every few seconds, spewed bubbles, and closed again. Littered across the white sand floor were glass marbles the size of bowling balls, and a strange assortment of weapons like tridents and spearguns. Outside the tank's display wall was an amphitheater with seating for several hundred.**

" _Oookaay,_ besides the weapons, this is starting to sound less like an aquarium and more like a goldfish bowl." Travis said as he listened to the description. "What's supposed to be in there? Is it in the house? Just hurry up and show us the monster already."

"I know right? We all know you want to." Connor said impatiently, feeling a sense of unease. 

The demigods could barely sit still as Hermes continued reading.

**"What do you keep in here?" Frank asked. "Giant killer goldfish?"**

"I'd pay good money to see that." Hermes admitted.

**[Phorcys]... "Oh, that would be good! But, no, Frank Zhang, descendant of Poseidon.** Everyone stiffened. **This tank is not for goldfish."**

Poseidon's face paled in realization. 

" _Get out!"_ the god said urgently. " _Run!"_

**At** _**descendant of Poseidon,** _ **Frank flinched. He stepped back, gripping his backpack like a mace he was prepared to swing.**

Despite the situation, Ares snorted. "What happened to the bow and arrows?"

"Not _now_ Ares!" Poseidon snapped. He felt his heart race, his clammy hand tightened its grip on the trident.

**A sense of dread trickled down Percy's throat like cough syrup. Unfortunately, it was a feeling he was used to.**

The god of the sea grimaced.

**"How do you know Frank's last name?" he demanded. "How do you know he's descended from Poseidon?"**

**"Well..." Phorcys shrugged, trying to look modest. "It was probably in the descriptions Gaea provided. You know, for the bounty, Percy Jackson."**

"Of course he'd be interested in the bounty..." Poseidon growled. "Probably is doing it just so he can get back in his _mommy's_ good graces."

**[Percy]... "Don't double-cross me, Phorcys. You promised me answers."**

"I have a feeling you already got out as much as he was willing to tell you." Annabeth said with a grimace.

**"After the VIP treatment, yes," Phorcys agreed.**

"Some VIP treatment! Aren't you supposed to treat them like royalty or something?" Connor protested.

"Or at least give them answers." Travis added. "They deserve it after sitting through your _boring_ shows."

**"I promised to tell you everything you need to know. The thing is, however, you don't really need to know anything." His grotesque smile stretched wide.**

Lacy and a few of her sisters shuddered.

**"You see, even if you made it to Rome, which is _quite_ unlikely, you'd never defeat my giant brothers without a god fighting at your side. And what god would help you?**

"I'm not very picky. So if any of you are willing to help me right now, that'd be great." Percy said, giving each of them a meaningful stare.

The gods exchanged looks.

Hermes shifted before clearing his throat.

"Um... We'll see what happens." he said lamely. The god continued reading before Percy could respond.

The teen scowled.

**So I have a better plan. You're not leaving. You're VIPs—Very Important Prisoners!"**

"Wow. I guess we should've seen that coming..." Connor said with a cringe.

"Creative." Percy said flatly.

**Percy lunged.**

Poseidon's body went rigid. 

"Don't lunge at him! There's no telling what he'd do!" the god shouted at his son. 

Percy and a few others around him winced at the volume.

"Sorry." he replied.

**Frank hurled his backpack at the sea god's head.**   The sides of Hermes' mouth twitched, but otherwise he didn't react.

Ares sighed. _...Fates._

**Phorcys simply disappeared.**

Poseidon wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or extremely annoyed.

" _Oh come on!"_ Percy complained. He had a feeling that was going to happen, but it didn't make it any less frustrating.

**The god's voice reverberated through the aquarium's sound system... "Yes, good! Fighting is good! You see, Mother never trusted me with big assignments, but she _did_ agree that I could keep anything I caught. You two will make an excellent exhibit—the only demigod spawn of Poseidon in captivity. 'Demigod Terrors'—yes, I like that!**

Percy's eye twitched. _First I was a guinea pig, now I'm being used as the main attraction of an aquarium. This must be some sick joke from the Fates._

**We already have sponsorship lined up with Bargain Mart.**

"I don't know what that place is, but I'm definitely going to give it a low rating on Yelp." Leo swore. "One out of five stars: Supports cruelty towards demigods."

"It's the little things I guess..." Katie said, giving the boy an confused look.

**You can fight each other every day at eleven AM and one PM, with an evening show at seven PM."**

**"You're crazy!" Frank yelled.**

**"Don't sell yourself short!" Phorcys said. "You'll be our biggest draw!"**

"Not _that!"_ Percy snapped. "He meant if you think we're going to let this happen!" He groaned and brushed his hair back. "Where's Coach Hedge? We can really use some help now."

"If he's not too busy listening to Keto's lame fun facts." Chris said, making a face.

**Frank ran for the exit, only to slam into a glass wall. Percy ran the other way and found it blocked as well. Their tunnel had become a bubble... Soon the water would come crashing in.**

" _Great..."_ Percy said sarcastically.

**"We won't cooperate, Phorcys!" he shouted.**

**"Oh, I'm optimistic," the sea god's voice boomed. "If you won't fight each other at first, no  
problem! I can send in fresh sea monsters every day. After you get used to the food here, you'll be properly sedated and will follow directions. Believe me, you'll come to love your new home."**

Poseidon and Percy gritted their teeth.

Annabeth glared at the book as if it were Phorcys himself.

**Over Percy's head, the glass dome cracked and began to leak.** **"I'm the son of Poseidon!" Percy tried to keep the fear out of his voice.**

**"You can't imprison me in water. This is where I'm strongest."**

**Phorcys's laugh seemed to come from all around them. "What a coincidence! It's also where I'm strongest. This tank is specially designed to contain demigods.**

"We'll see about that." Percy muttered.

**Now, have fun, you two. I'll see you at feeding time!"**

**The glass dome shattered, and the water crashed in.**

**Percy held his breath until he couldn't stand it.**

Percy rolled his eyes.

**When he finally filled his lungs with water, it felt just like normal breathing.** **The water pressure didn't bother him. His clothes didn't even get wet. His underwater abilities were as good as ever.**

_Duh!_ he thought impatiently. A thought suddenly came to him. 

"What about Frank?" he said, starting to panic. The demigods stiffened. "Can he even breathe under water?!"

"He'll be fine, he turned into a fish." Leo assured. Percy and the others relaxed after hearing that.

_But for how long?_ Annabeth worriedly thought. _He said turning into animals takes energy._

**...Then he remembered Frank, and he immediately felt a surge of panic and guilt. Percy had been so worried about himself that he'd forgotten his friend was only a distant descendant of Poseidon. Frank couldn't _breathe_ underwater.**

**But where _was_ he?**

"He couldn't have gone that far..." Annabeth frowned.

**Percy turned in a full circle. Nothing. Then he glanced up. Hovering about him was a giant  
goldfish.** Hermes chuckled. **Frank had turned—clothes, backpack, and all—into a koi the size of a teenaged boy.**

The Stolls and Leo snickered.

"Really fits the current situation." Travis joked.

_Did it really have to be a goldfish? Couldn't he have turned into a hammerhead shark or a sword fish?_   _Anything more useful?_ Percy sighed.

**_Dude._ Percy sent his thoughts through the water... _A goldfish?_**

**Frank's voice came back to him: _I freaked. We were talking about goldfish, so it was on my mind. Sue me._**

**_I'm having a telepathic conversation with a giant koi,_ Percy said. _Great. Can you turn into something more...useful?_**

**Silence. Maybe Frank was concentrating, though it was impossible to tell, since koi don't have many expressions.**

**_Sorry._ Frank sounded embarrassed. _I'm stuck. That happens sometimes when I panic._**

"Okay..." Percy said, trying not to sound annoyed. "We'll just work around this."

**_Fine._ Percy gritted his teeth. _Let's figure out how to escape._**

**Frank swam around the tank and reported no exits.**

"Of course not. Can't be that easy." Percy grumbled.

**The top was covered with Celestial bronze mesh, like the curtains that roll down over closed storefronts at the mall. Percy tried to cut through with Riptide, but he couldn't make a dent.**

"Figures." Percy huffed.

"Try the glass." Annabeth suggested.

**He tried to smash through the glass wall with his sword hilt—again, no luck.**

"Maybe the other weapons?" Annabeth tried.

**Then he repeated his efforts with several of the weapons lying around the bottom of the tank and managed to break three tridents, a sword, and a speargun.**

" _Great."_ he groaned.

"Your best bet of getting out of here is waiting for Coach Hedge to come rescue you." Annabeth frowned. "And who knows how that's going to work..." 

"He doesn't need to fight them or anything, just find a way to open the tank." Percy pointed out. "Or maybe be a distraction."

**...Well, that's it, he thought dejectedly. I'll have to live in a plastic gingerbread house the rest of my life, fighting my giant goldfish friend and waiting for feeding time.**

"Wow, way to think positively Percy." Leo said. He tossed a Lego brick up and down in the air.

"Don't give up!" Annabeth told him fiercely. "You still have a chance to get out of this."

"I know! I know! I'm just brooding, that's all!" Percy assured her.

**...He wondered if Phorcys was right. Even if they managed to escape, how could they defeat the giants if the gods were all incapacitated?**

Everyone frowned.

The demigods nervously squirmed in their seats.

**Bacchus might be able to help. He had killed the twin giants once before, but he would only join the fight if he got an impossible tribute, and the idea of giving Bacchus any kind of tribute made Percy want to gag himself with a Monster Donut.**

"It's not like you can find it anyway..." Dionysus huffed.

**_Look!_ Frank said.**

**Outside the glass, Keto was leading Coach Hedge through the amphitheater, lecturing him on something while the coach nodded and admired the stadium seating.**

"Finally, there he is." Percy said with a sigh of relief.

"Now all you have to do is get his attention." Grover said.

**_Coach!_ Percy yelled. Then he realized it was hopeless. The coach couldn't hear telepathic yelling.**

_Don't know why I thought it would work._ the son of Poseidon rolled his eyes.

**Frank bumped his head against the glass.**

Ares snorted. "Very helpful."

"You don't need to be too loud." Grover said. "Just tap the glass and his hearing should be able to pick it up."

**Hedge didn't seem to notice. Keto walked him briskly across the amphitheater. She didn't even look through the glass, probably because she assumed the tank was still empty. She pointed to the far end of the room as if saying, _Come on. More gruesome sea monsters this way._**

"I swear if they leave, I'm going to scream." Percy said, drumming fingers on his knee.

**Percy realized he had only a few seconds before the coach would be gone. He swam after them, but the water didn't help him move as it usually did. In fact, it seemed to be pushing him back.**

_Com'on! Com'on! Think of something!_ Percy thought impatiently.

**He dropped Riptide and used both arms.**

**...In desperation, Percy scooped up a giant marble and hurled it underhanded like a bowling ball.**

**It hit the glass with a _thunk_ —not nearly loud enough to attract attention.**

The demigods groaned in frustration.

"I had one job..." Percy said sarcastically.

"He might have heard it." Grover said.

**Percy's heart sank.**

**But Coach Hedge had the ears of a satyr. He glanced over his shoulder.**

A few people let out sighs of relief.

**When he saw Percy, his expression went through several changes in a matter of microseconds-incomprehension, surprise, outrage, then a mask of calm.**

"I wonder what he was thinking when he saw them in there." Hermes thought out loud.

"Probably something like 'I'm going to kill them'." Apollo guessed. "Or maybe just 'Die'."

"The sad thing is, you're probably right." Grover said with a sigh.

**Before Keto could notice, Hedge pointed toward the top of the amphitheater. It looked like he might be screaming, _Gods of Olympus, what is that?_**

" **Keto turned. Coach Hedge promptly took off his fake foot and ninja-kicked her in the back of the head with his goat hoof.** _Pppffftt! What?!"_ Hermes burst out laughing. Apollo and the Stolls were laughing along with him.

"Poor Kate!" Travis said in mock sympathy.

"I'm surprised he hadn't tried that before!" Connor added.

Thinking about his similar blow to the head, Percy couldn't help but wince.

"First Jason (twice), then Percy, now Keto. What is up with this book and head injuries?" Will noticed.

"As long as it's not one of us again, it's fine." Annabeth said, relaxing. She couldn't help but feel thankful to have a kung-fu satyr for a chaperone.

**Keto crumpled to the floor.**   Hermes said in between his chuckles.

"She'll be out of it for a while." Connor grinned.

"Not as long as you'd think, she's still immortal." Artemis reminded. "So they'll have to escape quickly."

"Awesome, I love time limits." Percy said dryly.

**...Hedge ran to the glass. He held up his palms like: _What are you doing in there, Jackson?_**

"It's not like I want to be in there!" he said hurriedly. "Just look for a way to get us out!"

**Percy pounded his fist on the glass and mouthed: _Break it!_**

"But how?" Annabeth frowned. "It didn't even crack after you tried using a weapon."

"I don't know, maybe there's some kind of button nearby that could lift the mesh." Percy said. 

**Hedge yelled a question that might have been: _Where's Frank?_**

**Percy pointed at the giant koi.**

**Frank waved his left dorsal fin. _'Sup?_**

"Nothing much, just rescuing you." Travis said conversationally. "How's your day been going?"

"Pretty crazy. One minute I'm on a quest to save the world, next I'm trapped inside a giant fish bowl with a goldfish. Demigod lives are weird." Percy replied with a sigh. 

**Behind Hedge, the sea goddess began to move.**

Percy groaned. "She's waking up that quickly?" Artemis had warned them, but still, he had been hoping a kick like that would've given them enough time to escape.

**Percy pointed frantically.**

**Hedge shook his leg like he was warming up his kicking hoof, but Percy waved his arms, _No_. They couldn't keep whopping Keto on the head forever. **

"Just one more wouldn't hurt." Hermes argued.

"They don't have time." Artemis said firmly. "Phorcys could come back at any minute."

**_On three,_ Percy mouthed, holding up three fingers and then gesturing at the glass. _All of us hit it at the same time._**

"Will that even work?" Chris said.

"We have to try something." Percy shrugged.

Leo juggled Legos.

**Percy had never been good at charades, but Hedge nodded like he understood. Hitting things was a language the satyr knew well.**

"Yeah he definitely understood that." Apollo agreed with a chuckle.

**Percy hefted another giant marble. Frank, we'll need you too. _Can you change form yet?_**

**_Maybe back to human._ **

_Maybe's not good enough. Either you can or you can't._ Ares scoffed.

**_Human is fine! Just hold your breath. If this works..._ **

**Keto rose to her knees...**

"Hurry!" Annabeth said impatiently.

**Percy counted on his fingers. _One, two, three!_**

The readers held their breaths.

**Frank turned to human and shoved his shoulder against the glass. The coach did a Chuck** **Norris roundhouse kick with his hoof. Percy used all his strength to slam the marble into the wall, but he did more than that. He called on the water to obey him, and this time he refused to take no for an answer.**

**He felt all the pent-up pressure inside the tank, and he put it to use. Water liked to be free. Given time, water could overcome any barrier, and it _hated_ to be trapped, just like Percy.**

"In a place like this, I can't blame it." Poseidon muttered.

**He thought about getting back to Annabeth.**

Annabeth squeezed Percy's hand.

**He thought about destroying this horrible prison for sea creatures. He thought about shoving Phorcys's microphone down his ugly throat.** Hermes and a few others couldn't help but grin at that. **Fifty thousand gallons of water responded to his anger.**

**The glass wall cracked. Fracture lines zigzagged from the point of impact, and suddenly the tank burst.** **Percy was sucked out in a torrent of water. He tumbled across the amphitheater floor with Frank, some large marbles, and a clump of plastic seaweed.**

"Finally!" Percy exclaimed, relief evident in his voice. "Now we can free the sea monsters and get out of here."

"But what about Keto?" Will frowned.

**Keto was just getting to her feet when the diver statue slammed into her like it wanted a hug.** Hermes, Apollo, and the Stolls laughed.

"Never mind." Will said with a grin.

"Today's just not her day!" Connor snickered.

**Coach Hedge spit salt water. "Pan's pipes, Jackson! What were you doing in there?"**

**"Phorcys!" Percy spluttered. "Trap! Run!"**

"You always did have a way with words." Annabeth couldn't help but remark. 

"Hey, he knew what I meant." Percy said in his defense.

**Alarms blared as they fled the exhibits. They ran past the Nereids' tank, then the telkhines. Percy wanted to free them, but how? They were drugged and sluggish, and they were sea creatures. They wouldn't survive unless he found a way to transport them to the ocean.  
Besides, if Phorcys caught them, Percy was pretty sure the sea god's power would overcome his.**

**And Keto would be after them too, ready to feed them to her sea monsters.**

"So we're going to leave them?" Percy said with a frown. He bit back a disappointed sigh and looked down at his feet.

"You don't have a choice..." Hestia said sadly.

"Don't worry about it, we sent help." Leo assured him. "I'm sure Bill saved them all."

The readers were relaxing until they heard the name. At the mention of this 'Bill' guy, they shot him confused looks.

"Bill?" the son of Poseidon echoed. "Who's that?"

"Only the greatest merman for the job!" _At least, that's what Aphros and Bythos seemed to think._ Leo silently added.

The readers still looked bewildered, but Poseidon's eyes lit in realization.

"He's an excellent choice for the job." the god of the sea nodded his head in approval, confident in the mer-hero's abilities.

Leo blinked at the immortal's reaction.

_Who exactly is this guy?_ he couldn't help but wonder. Having similar thoughts, Hermes simply shook his head and kept reading.

**...Over the sound system, Phorcys's voice boomed: "Percy Jackson!"**

"That's my name, don't wear it out!" Percy replied.

**Flash pots and sparklers exploded randomly. Donut-scented smoke filled the halls. Dramatic music—five or six different tracks—blared simultaneously from the speakers.**

Apollo winced. "I hate when soundtracks overlap like that."

**Lights popped and caught fire as all the special effects in the building were triggered at once.**

**Percy, Coach Hedge, and Frank stumbled out of the glass tunnel and found themselves back in the whale shark room. The mortal section of the aquarium was filled with screaming crowds—families and day camp groups running in every direction while the staff raced around frantically, trying to assure everyone it was just a faulty alarm system.**

"As if that would work." Dionysus rolled his eyes, skimming an article in his magazine.

"They'd be better off leaving anyway." Poseidon remarked.

**Percy knew better. He and his friends joined the mortals and ran for the exit.**

"At least we left the aquarium in one piece." Percy said. He thought back to the lights catching on fire and the broken tank. "Kinda..."

"That's a first." Annabeth said bluntly.

"I'm actually surprised. With you and Coach Hedge on the same team, I was half expecting something to blow up." Thalia admitted. "It didn't have to be anything huge, just one explosion."

"Thanks for believing in us." the son of Poseidon said in mock hurt. He dramatically placed a hand over his chest.

"That's the end of the chapter," Hermes said. Percy couldn't help but let out a loud sigh of relief. "Who wants to read next?"

"I'll do it..." Demeter shrugged. The god tossed her the book, she easily caught it.

The goddess turned to the right page.

" **Annabeth XVII,** " she read.

Percy shot Annabeth a sympathetic look as the daughter of Athena groaned.


	17. Annabeth XVII

" **Annabeth XVII** ," Demeter read.

Annabeth sighed as Percy shot her another apologetic look.

**ANNABETH WAS TRYING TO CHEER UP HAZEL, regaling her with Percy's greatest Seaweed Brain moments,**

Annabeth couldn't help but give the faintest smile at that.

"Of course you would." Percy groaned, making a big show of rolling his eyes.

"What? It'll help Hazel take her mind off things." she replied in mock innocence, bumping her shoulder against his.

**when Frank stumbled down the hall and burst into her cabin.**

**"Where's Leo?" he gasped. "Take off! Take off!"**

"If that didn't cause any questions, I don't know what will." Annabeth said. 

**Both girls shot to their feet.**

**"Where's _Percy_?" Annabeth demanded. **

"Of course that's the first thing she asks." Aphrodite giggled.

Annabeth suppressed the urge to sigh.

**"And the goat?"**

"The _goat_ has a name." Clarisse said, eyes narrowing at the daughter of Athena.

"She's just still upset that Coach Hedge grounded her." Travis said with a snicker.

"It's not everyday, Annabeth gets stopped from going a quest." Connor added.

**Frank grabbed his knees, trying to breathe. His clothes were stiff and damp, like they'd been washed in pure starch. "On deck. They're fine. We're being followed!"**

**Annabeth pushed past him and took the stairs three at a time, Hazel right behind her and Frank trailing, still gasping for air.**

"How are you this out of breath?" Ares grumbled.

"He did have to run up the tallest hill in Atlanta." Aphrodite reminded.

"Excuses." the god huffed. " _My_ children could've done it without breaking a sweat." 

**Percy and Hedge lay on the deck, looking exhausted. Hedge was missing his shoes. He grinned at the sky, muttering, "Awesome. Awesome."**

"At least someone had fun." Percy said, playfully rolling his eyes.

**Percy was covered with nicks and scratches, like he'd jumped through a window.**

"I wish that was what happened..." Percy sighed. _Almost being a main attraction at an aquarium... Out of all the things that could happen to me as a demigod, I never thought something like that._

He shuddered in disgust.

**He didn't say anything, but he grasped Annabeth's hand weakly as if to say, _Be right with you, as soon as the world stops spinning._**

Will frowned. Poseidon and Annabeth tensed.

"Are you okay?" Nico couldn't help but ask.

"I'm fine, probably just tired from using my powers... And all that running." Percy added as an afterthought. He turned to Leo. "Did we run all the way back to the ship? Or did Frank transform into a giant bird and fly us half-way there?"

Rocking his chair back, Leo shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, never bothered to ask. I think you ran."

_Geez, no wonder I'm tired. We had to take a car to get to that aquarium._ the son of Poseidon grimaced.

**Leo, Piper, and Jason, who'd been eating in the mess hall, came rushing up the stairs.**

**"What? What?" Leo cried, holding a half-eaten grilled cheese sandwich. "Can't a guy even take a lunch break?**

"A Supreme Commander's work is never done..." Leo sighed dramatically.

**What's wrong?"** **  
**

**"Followed!" Frank yelled again.**

The readers stiffened.

" _What?!"_ Katie exclaimed. 

"Keto and Porky actually followed  them?" Apollo said in disbelief. He frowned and looked up at the ceiling. "That's weird... They aren't the type of people who'd be willing to _run_ , especially this far. And it's not like they have any sea monsters that they can sic on them..."

"Maybe not from the aquarium... I wouldn't put it past Keto to send one of her children." Poseidon said ominously, squeezing his trident. The grim look on his face had the others exchanging nervous glances.

Tension hung in the air.

**"Followed by _what?"_ Jason asked.**

**"I don't know!" Frank panted. "Whales? Sea monsters? Maybe Kate and Porky!"**

The readers frowned.

Percy furrowed his eyebrows. "What is it? Are we being followed by something or not?"

"Doesn't sound like it, but it's hard to tell." Annabeth said, wishing Frank could be more clearer.

**... [Annabeth] "That makes absolutely no sense. Leo, you'd better get us out of here."**

**...Soon the Argo II was rising into the sky. Annabeth manned the aft crossbow. She saw no sign of pursuit by whales or otherwise...**

The readers slowly relaxed, looking more confused than anxious.

"Were they running because they _thought_ they were being followed?" Annabeth muttered. "Or was whatever that was following them not caught up yet?"

Hearing that, Percy shuddered. "Let's hope we don't find out."

**"Charleston," Percy said, hobbling around the deck like an old man. He still sounded pretty** **shaken up. "Set course for Charleston."**

**"Charleston?" Jason said the name as if it brought back bad memories.** Annabeth narrowed her eyes. **"What exactly did you find in Atlanta?"**

**Frank unzipped his backpack and starting bringing out souvenirs. "Some peach preserves. A couple of T-shirts. A snow globe. And, um, these not-really-Chinese handcuffs."**

"He meant as in information, not souvenirs." Annabeth groaned as the Stolls snickered.

"I don't know, if I were Jason, I'd want to know about the peach preserves." Travis joked. "Could come in handy on the quest."

**They gathered on the quarterdeck so Leo could hear the conversation as he navigated. Percy and Frank took turns relating what had happened at the Georgia Aquarium, with Coach Hedge interjecting from time to time: "That was awesome!" or "Then I kicked her in the head!"**

"Hands down best part of the chapter!" Hermes chuckled. "It's too bad he only did it once."

"Can you imagine Keto's reaction after waking up the second time?" Apollo chuckled.

"I wonder what she thought when she was gaining consciousness..." the god of thieves mused.

**At least the coach seemed to have forgotten about Percy and Annabeth falling asleep in the stable the night before.**

"Lucky you."  Travis smirked at the couple.

"Next time, try not to get caught." Aphrodite winked. "Pro-tip: Don't fall asleep in the stables."

Annabeth and Percy blushed.

"Or don't do it at all." Athena said, giving the goddess of love a sour look.

"Or don't do it." the goddess repeated, rolling her eyes. Making a face, she turned to the others and silently jerked her finger at Athena as if to say: _Can you believe this?_

Demeter and Hermes just shrugged.

**...When Percy explained about the captive sea creatures in the aquarium, she understood why he seemed so upset.**

**"That's terrible," she said. "We need to help them."**

**"We will," Percy promised...  
**

"Or Bill will." Percy corrected, frowning as he thought back to the mer-hero.

_How do we even find this guy? Why haven't I heard about him before?_ Percy thought back to the time he visited his father's kingdom and the merpeople preparing for war. Was one of those people Bill?

_I guess I'll find out._ he told himself.

**"Never mind. First we have to deal with this bounty on our heads."**

Annabeth suppressed the urge to sigh. "There's not much we can do about it, other than be careful."

"As if we weren't careful enough..." Percy grumbled, crossing his arms.

**Coach Hedge had lost interest in the conversation—probably because it was no longer about him—**

A couple people snorted at this. Others chuckled.

**and wandered toward the bow of the ship, practicing his roundhouse kicks and complimenting himself on his technique.**

"He's never going to let that whole 'kicked Keto in the head thing' go." Leo stated a-matter-of-factly. He played with some of the paperclips on his necklace.

"I wouldn't! How many satyrs can say that they knocked a goddess unconscious with one kick!" Connor snickered.

"He should be on the Council of Cloven Elders for that!" Travis happily added.

"Now you're pushing it." Grover said, paling.

**[Annabeth]... "A bounty on our heads...as if we didn't attract enough monsters already."**

"No kidding," Percy agreed. "When is something good going to happen to us?"

**"Do we get WANTED posters?" Leo asked.**

Percy and Annabeth exchanged grimaces.

"Gods I hope they don't. How would they even get the pictures?" Percy said bluntly. He couldn't help but think of Gaea taking time in the library to google pictures of him and his friends. He shuddered.

"Nah, if they have pictures they would've hand drawn them." Connor said dismissively. He suddenly laughed. "Can you imagine how accurate those would be?"

"About as well as my crayon drawing." Leo grinned. "They'd probably draw my nose wrong in every picture. Each Wanted poster has the same face, but a different nose."

"Or they give you a different height in each poster," Travis snickered. "In one poster, you're 4'11, but in another you're 4'3." *

"4'11? _4'3?!_ Okay, I'll admit, I'm not the most tallest guy around, but I'm not _that_ short!" 

"Could've fooled me, elf boy." Travis teased.

"Elf boy?!"

"That's a good name for your Wanted poster." Connor said, pretending to be considering the idea. "Wanted: Santa's little elf."

_"What?!_ Come on!" Leo complained over the boys' laughter.

**"And do they have our bounties, like, broken down on a price list?"**

Annabeth made a face. "Pretty sure we're all the same price. It's not like it matters anyway..."

Leo was too busy grumbling about the elf comment to respond.

"Elf boy... 4'3... And after insults like that, you expect me to want to do pranks with you guys?" 

"Don't be too upset..." Travis said, pretending to be sympathetic. He gave Leo's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "You're still taller than Coach Hedge."

"That's supposed to be an accomplishment?" he responded flatly.

**Hazel wrinkled her nose. " _What_ are you talking about?"**

**"Just curious how much I'm going for these days," Leo said.**

A couple people rolled their eyes.

**"I mean, I can understand not being as pricey as Percy or Jason, maybe...but am I worth, like, two Franks, or three Franks?"**

Ares/Mars clenched his hands into fists, he fixed Leo with a dark glare. One thing that both sides agreed on was that Leo Valdez needed to be beaten to a bloody pulp. 

The demigods' eyes widened in disbelief.

_He really didn't just say that..._ Annabeth grimaced. _Please tell me I misheard that..._

The Stolls froze in the middle of their teasing.

_"Woah..."_ Travis said, his face fell. "That's too far, man."

"I know you guys have a beef going on, but why would you say something like that?" Connor 

Leo winced. He suddenly thought the cuffs of his jacket to be interesting.

"I didn't mean for it too sound like that." he said lamely. "I was just joking." 

It sounded stupid, even to himself. But he really hadn't meant to hurt Frank! Embarrass, yes. But to imply that he was worthless wasn't what he intended. How could he even say something like that anyway? _Him!_ Mister 'Low Self-Esteem' himself had the nerve to tell someone that even two of them wasn't worth one of him. 

_First Nico, now Frank. I swear, the minute I get back to the ship, I'm building that Slap-Leo-In-The-Face machine._ Leo swore, wishing could kick himself. He hoped that Frank knew he hadn't meant what he said.

"Joking or not, that was hurtful." Katie remarked. Leo just stared down at his sneakers.

"I hope you apologized to him." Connor said. If possible, Leo felt worse. He never did say sorry about this, did he? 

_Frank didn't say anything about it after this. Maybe he forgot about it or didn't take it to heart._ the son of Hephaestus let out a heavy sigh.

**"Hey!" Frank complained.**

Ares gritted his teeth, he felt his eye twitch.

_That's it?_ the god thought. _This guy's been bothering you this whole time and then he goes to say something like **that** , and all you can say is 'hey'? Knock his teeth out! Bash his head on the controls! Don't let him get away with that! _

Ares sucked his teeth, giving Leo one more glare, he opened and closed his switchblade.

**"Knock it off," Annabeth ordered. "At least we know our next step is to go to Charleston, to find this map."**

**Piper leaned against the control panel. She'd done her braid with white feathers today**

"Cute." Aphrodite couldn't help but remark. "It would go well with her hair color."

**...Annabeth wondered how she found the time. Annabeth could barely remember to _brush_ her hair.**

_"What?"_ the goddess of love said in disbelief. "Isn't that part of your morning routine?"

Annabeth looked away from the others.

"Yes, it's not like I want to have a bed head." she said defensively, subconsciously smoothing stray hair out of her face. "I must've been too busy in the morning to do it. With the Great Prophecy going on."

Sensing her embarrassment, Lacy nodded her head. 

"Makes sense," she agreed. "It's not like you're doing a fancy hairstyle anyway, you're just pulling it back into a ponytail."

The other girl relaxed.

"Right." Annabeth said more confidently. "I can just brush it with my fingers and it's good."

_Her... fingers?_ Aphrodite cringed, but chose not to comment.

**"A map," Piper said. "But a map to what?"**

Annabeth bit her lip. She crossed her arms.

**"The Mark of Athena." Percy looked cautiously at Annabeth, like he was afraid he'd overstepped. She must have been putting out a strong _I don't want to talk about it_ vibe.**

"It's heavy stuff." she said. A part of her hoped her future self to talk more about it, especially since Annabeth knew so little about the fight with her mother and the nightmares. But another part of her couldn't help but feel anxious about learning more.

**" _Whatever_ that is," he continued. "We know it leads to something important in Rome, something that might heal the rift between the Romans and Greeks."**

"I don't know about _healing_ , but it will finally return what is rightfully mine." Athena grumbled.

**_"The giants' bane,"_ Hazel added.**

**Percy nodded. "And in my dream, the twin giants said something about a statue."**

**"Um..." Frank rolled his not-exactly-Chinese handcuffs between his fingers. "According to Phorcys, we'd have to be insane to try to find it.**

"That doesn't mean much, we're already insane for going on this quest." Percy shrugged.

**But what is it?"**

**Everyone looked at Annabeth. Her scalp tingled, as if the thoughts in her brain were agitating to get out: a statue...Athena...Greek and Roman, her nightmares, and her argument with her mom.**

Annabeth stiffened.

Athena tensed.

**She saw how the pieces were coming together, but she couldn't believe it was true. The answer was too big, too important, and much too scary.**

_Just say what's happening. How am I supposed to change the future if you don't tell me everything?_ the daughter of Athena thought.

**She noticed Jason studying her, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking and didn't like it any more than she did.**

_What is he keeping from me this time?_ Annabeth thought impatiently.

**Again she couldn't help but wonder: _Why does this guy make me so nervous? Is he really on my side?_**

Thalia scowled. "Of course he is."

**_Or maybe that was her mom talking...._ **

_I hope not..._ Annabeth grimaced. _I don't need Mother influencing me on this quest._

**"I—I'm close to an answer," she said. "I'll know more if we find this map. Jason, the way you reacted to the name _Charleston..._ have you been there before?"**

**_..._ "Yeah," he admitted. "Reyna and I did a quest there about a year ago. We were salvaging Imperial gold weapons from the C.S.S. _Hunley."  
_**

Nyssa and Jake perked up.

Percy frowned. "And that is...?"

"The C.S.S. _Hunley!"_ Jake repeated as if it were obvious. Seeing the others' blank expressions, he continued. "It's the first successful military submarine!"

Much to his disappointment (although he couldn't say he was surprised), the other demigods didn't look as excited about the revelation as he felt. A few simply shrugged and said: "Oh."

With a small noise of frustration, Jake turned to his brother.

"Did you get a chance to see it?" he eagerly asked.

Leo regretfully shook his head. "No, I wanted to. But we ran into some trouble at the museum."

The readers grimaced at that.

"Great." Annabeth sighed. "Just what I wanted to hear."

**"It was designed by Roman demigods," Jason said. "It held a secret stash of Imperial gold torpedoes** Jake raised his eyebrows in interest. **—until we rescued them and brought them back to Camp Jupiter."**

**Hazel crossed her arms. "So the Romans fought on the Confederate side? As a girl whose** **grandmother was a slave, can I just say...not cool?"**

"That's putting it mildly." Athena muttered.

**Jason put his hands in front of him, palms up. "I personally was not alive then. And it wasn't _all_ Greeks on one side and _all_ Romans on the other. But, yes. Not cool. Sometimes demigods make bad choices." He looked sheepishly at Hazel. "Like sometimes we're too suspicious. And we speak without thinking."**

The demigods blinked.

**Hazel stared at him. Slowly it seemed to dawn on her that he was apologizing.  
Jason elbowed Leo.**

**"Ow!" Leo yelped. "I mean, yeah...bad choices. Like not trusting people's brothers who, you** **know, might need saving. Hypothetically speaking."**

"One of the most awkward apologies I've ever made." Leo admitted with a frown. He adjusted his goggles. "I didn't even know where he was going at first. One minute he was talking about the Civil War, next he was talking about making bad choices and not believing in others. He really pulled some gymnastics to say 'I'm sorry'."

"At least you guys said it." Annabeth said.

"I guess." he shrugged. 

**Hazel pursed her lips. "Fine. Back to Charleston. Are you saying we should check that submarine again?"**

**Jason shrugged. "Well...I can think of two places in Charleston we might search. The museum where they keep the Hunley—that's one of them. It has a lot of relics from the Civil War. A map could be hidden in one. I know the layout. I could lead a team inside."**

**"I'll go," Leo said. "That sounds cool."**

"Too bad you didn't see much." Jake sighed.

"I know, right." Leo agreed with a sigh of his own.

**Jason nodded. He turned to Frank, who was trying to pull his fingers out of the Chinese handcuffs. "You should come too, Frank. We might need you."**

**Frank looked surprised. "Why? Not like I was much good at that aquarium."**

"It took a team effort to break that tank open." Percy reminded. 

**..."Besides, you're a child of Mars," Jason said. "The ghosts of defeated causes are bound to serve you. And the museum in Charleston has plenty of Confederate ghosts. We'll need you to keep them in line."**

Annabeth nodded her head. "Right."

**"Okay." Frank relented. "Sure." He frowned at his fingers, trying to pull them out of the trap.** **"Uh, how do you—?"**

Some of the readers grinned.

Biting back a smile, Hermes tsked. "The Chinese handcuffs claim another victim."

"When will they learn?!" Apollo exclaimed, feigning sadness. 

**Frank tugged again with no luck. Even Hazel was trying not to laugh.**

The demigods snickered. 

"A beginner's mistake." Hermes shook his head.

"He's going to be stuck for a while." Travis grinned.

**Frank grimaced with concentration.** The snickers in the room grew louder. **Suddenly, he disappeared. On the deck where he'd been standing, a green iguana crouched next to an empty set of Chinese handcuffs.**

"Or not!" Travis laughed along with the other demigods.

"That's one way of doing it!" Hermes chuckled. 

"Does he ever find out the real way of getting out?" Katie giggled.

**"Well done, Frank Zhang," Leo said dryly, doing his impression of Chiron the centaur. "That is exactly how people beat Chinese handcuffs. They turn into iguanas."**

"He had to get out somehow!"  Connor argued, not bothering to hide his grin. 

"It was either that or get the scissors." Chris added, smiling.

"I'm starting to miss using the Chinese handcuffs," Travis admitted. "We should use them in more pranks."

Katie stopped in mid-laughter.

"Really?" she said flatly.

"Lesson #1: Nothing beats the classics." Travis told her in his most scholarly voice.

**...Frank turned back to human, picked up the handcuffs, and shoved them in his backpack.** **He managed an embarrassed smile.**

**"Anyway," Frank said, clearly anxious to change the subject. "The museum is one place to search. But, uh, Jason, you said there were two?"**

**Jason's smile faded. Whatever he was thinking about, Annabeth could tell it wasn't pleasant.**

Everyone grew more serious at that.

**"Yeah," he said. "The other place is called the Battery—it's a park right by the harbor.**

" _Oh,_ that place." Aphrodite said with a nostalgic sigh. "Whoever's going there is in for a treat. The view, the food, the romantic atmosphere! Maybe if you're lucky, you might even see a wedding!" The goddess of love beamed at the thought.

"You've been there before?" Annabeth asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I've been there many times, it's my favorite place to go to." Aphrodite told her. She sighed again. "The memories that place has..."

With a grin, she turned to Ares. "Remember when we were dancing the night the Civil War began?"

Form flickering, Ares smirked. "Who could forget? You could see the harbor being bombarded from the balcony." The god suddenly looked disappointed. "Too bad there were no causalities."

"The dazzling lights, the way lovers would run into each others arms... It was almost like a dream." the goddess swooned.

As the two continued reminiscing, Percy frowned.

"Are they talking about the same thing?" he asked. He wasn't sure whose recollection was more disturbing: Ares with his disappointment that nobody died or Aphrodite romanticizing the beginnings of America's most bloodiest war.

"Hard to tell with the way they're reacting." Annabeth said with a look of disgust.

**The last time I was there...with Reyna..." He glanced at Piper, then rushed on. "We saw something in the park. A ghost or some sort of spirit, like a Southern belle from the Civil War, glowing and floating along.**

The demigods frowned.

"Just when we got rid of the eidolons, we're about to see another ghost." Annabeth grumbled.

"I guess it shouldn't be that surprising considering what happened around there." Nico said.

**We tried to approach it, but it disappeared whenever we got close. Then Reyna had this** **feeling—she said she should try it alone. Like maybe it would only talk to a girl. She went up to the** **spirit by herself, and sure enough, it spoke to her."**

"What did it say? And why would it only speak to girls?" Annabeth muttered. _And just who exactly is this spirit anyway? Could it be a former demigod?_

**"What did it say?" Annabeth asked.**

**"Reyna wouldn't tell me," Jason admitted. "But it must have been important. She seemed...shaken up. Maybe she got a prophecy or some bad news.** **Reyna never acted the same around me after that."**

The demigods' frowns deepened at that.

"That's weird... What did it say to cause that?" Will muttered.

_Is this what started the strain in their relationship?_ Thalia grimaced.

**Annabeth considered that. After their experience with the eidolons, she didn't like the idea of approaching a ghost, especially one that changed people with bad news or prophecies.** **On the other hand, her mom was the goddess of knowledge, and knowledge was the most powerful weapon. Annabeth couldn't turn down a possible source of information.**

"Especially anything that might have to do with the Mark of Athena..." Annabeth muttered.

**"A girls' adventure, then," Annabeth said. "Piper and Hazel can come with me."**

"But what about me?" Percy frowned, realizing he was the odd man out. "I'm the only person who wasn't assigned to a team."

"I guess you're staying on the ship with Gleeson." Apollo said.

"What?" Percy's shoulders slumped. "But... but... I can do something. I get why I can't go with the girls, but I help the guys look for the map."

"I don't know... You sound like you're exhausted in the book, you should take the time to rest while the others look for clues." Will said.

_Rest._ Percy almost scoffed at that. _I don't need to be resting. Leo said that they're going to be in trouble, and I'm stuck at the ship with Coach Hedge..._

He threw his head back and groaned.

**Both nodded, though Hazel looked nervous. No doubt her time in the Underworld had given her** **enough ghost experiences for two lifetimes. Piper's eyes flashed defiantly, like anything Reyna could** **do, she could do.**

"Don't feel like you have to compete with her, you've already Jason." Lacy reminded.

**Annabeth realized that if six of them went on these two quests, it would leave Percy alone on the ship with Coach Hedge, which was maybe not a situation a caring girlfriend should put him in.**

"It's not." Percy agreed, trying and failing not to pout. "You should give me something to do. Maybe a solo mission. There has to be another place that you guys need to go to."

"A solo mission? After you went missing for _months?_ Nice try, Jackson. Looks like you're the one grounded this time." Annabeth told him.

" _Come on!_ I don't even like quests, but there has to be something I can do!" Percy complained.

"Recovering would be a good idea." Will suggested. He sighed when the other boy ignored him.

**...Percy looked so troubled by his experience with those imprisoned sea creatures, she thought maybe he could use a rest. She met his eyes, asking him a silent question. He nodded as if to say, _Yeah. It'll be fine._**

"I'm seriously okay with this?" Percy asked in disbelief. _I get that I'm still worried about the sea creatures, but how am I supposed to help them if I'm cooped up in the ship._ _  
_

Will couldn't help but feel silently grateful. _He's finally learning..._

**"So that's settled."**

"I guess so..." Percy grumbled.

**Annabeth turned to Leo, who was studying his console, listening to Festus creak and click over the intercom. "Leo, how long until we reach Charleston?"**

**"Good question," he muttered. "Festus just detected a large group of eagles behind us—long-range radar, still not in sight."**

The readers tensed. 

"The Romans!" Chris stiffened.

"Now what?" Mitchell said anxiously. "You still need to land in Charleston, but the Romans aren't that far away."

"They could fight." Clarisse suggested with a frown.

**..."Which would be a very bad idea," Jason said, "and remove any doubt that we're enemies of Rome."**

The readers grimaced. A few of the demigods shifted nervously in their seats.

Annabeth grabbed her necklace, her eyes narrowed in concertation as she brainstormed ideas.

"Don't worry guys, Uncle Leo's got a few tricks up his sleeve!" said boy bragged.

That got their attention.

"You do?" Katie said in surprise.

"Of course I do! Somebody's gotta prepare for when the Romans catch up." Leo rolled up his sleeves. 

**[Leo]..."If we went straight to Charleston, we could be there in a few hours. But the eagles would overtake us, and things would get complicated.**

"Right..." Annabeth said, nodding along.

**Instead, we could send out a decoy to trick the eagles. We take the ship on a detour, go the long way to Charleston, and get there tomorrow morning—"**

Will and Hades frowned.

"But that would just be wasting time." the son of Apollo said. "Can't you just send the decoy and go to Charleston on the same day."

"Can't. By the time they realize they're following a decoy, there'd be enough time to turn around and catch up with us." Annabeth pointed out. "We need as much distance from them as possible if we want to find information in Charleston and travel to Rome without running into them."

Will bit his lip. _She's right... but how much time does Nico have left?_

He grimaced and glanced at the boy. 

Nico had an unreadable expression on his face as he twisted his skull ring.

**..."It's June twenty-seventh," Hazel said. "After today, four more days. Then he dies."**

Nico winced.

" _Gods..."_ Will muttered under his breath.

Hades took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

**"I know! But this might throw the Romans off our trail. We still should have enough time to** **reach Rome."**

Will rubbed his temples.

"Should have enough?" he repeated dryly.  **  
**

**...Leo shrugged. "How do you feel about _barely enough?"_**

"Sick." Will stated bluntly.

**Hazel put her face in her hands for a count of three. "Sounds about typical for us."**

"We barely make it, but by the end of the day, it all works out." Leo said optimistically.

"I guess we just work better under pressure." Percy said sarcastically.

**Annabeth decided to take that as a green light. "Okay, Leo. What kind of decoy are we talking about?"**

Leo gave the readers a wicked smile.

"Wait'll you see it! I'm so smart, I surprise myself sometimes!" he told them. He eagerly kicked his legs back and forth.

"I'm almost afraid to find out what it is..." Demeter muttered under her breath.

**"I'm so glad you asked!" He punched a few buttons on the console, rotated the turntable, and repeatedly pressed the A button on his Wii controller really, really fast. He called into the intercom, "Buford? Report for duty, please."**

"All of that just to make a call on the intercom..." Annabeth deadpanned. She groaned and rested a hand on her forehead. _And he expects people to know how things work._

The rest of the demigods perked up.

"Buford's here?" Nyssa said, a small grin slowly forming on her face. "What has he been doing this whole time? Why haven't we heard from him before?"

"He's been in the engine room." Leo smirked. He cupped a hand around his mouth and stage whispered. "He has a not-so-secret crush on Gina the engine."

The demigods blinked at him.

"You... named the engine?" Connor said slowly.

"I had to, I can't keep calling it 'the engine' if Buford has a crush on her. That's weird." Leo said as if it were obvious. He glanced at his siblings as if they'd back him up, but even they looked just as baffled.

"How do you even know he likes her?" Percy said, deciding to just roll with it.

Leo playfully rolled his eyes. " _Ppfft. Please,_ it's obvious by the way he acts around her that he likes her. I had to practically beg him to be the decoy because he didn't want to leave Gina's side. He's got it bad."

_Out of all the things I thought I'd learn today, this wasn't it._ Annabeth thought, staring at Leo as if he grew a second head.

_If I didn't read the Quest for Buford, I would've thought he was crazy..._ Chris considered his words.

_Crazier._ he corrected.

With little else to say, Demeter just shook her head and kept reading.

**Frank took a step back. "There's somebody else on the ship? Who is Buford?"**

"Wait'll he sees him." Travis grinned.

**A puff of steam shot from the stairwell, and Leo's automatic table climbed on deck.**

**...Buford was toting a** **bag like a mail sack tied to one of his legs. He clattered to the helm and made a sound like a train** **whistle.**

Some of the readers looked curiously at the book.

"What's in the bag?" Nico asked.

"The bait." Leo simply said, smiling wider.

**"This is Buford," Leo announced.**

**"You name your furniture?" Frank asked.**

"It's his thing, I guess." Chris shrugged.

**Leo snorted. "Man, you just _wish_ you had furniture this cool. Buford, are you ready for Operation End Table?"**

**Buford spewed steam. He stepped to the railing. His mahogany top split into four pie slices, which elongated into wooden blades. The blades spun, and Buford took off.** **  
**

**"A helicopter table," Percy muttered. "Gotta admit, that's cool. What's in the bag?"**

**"Dirty demigod laundry," Leo said. "I hope you don't mind, Frank."**

**Frank choked. "What?"**

" _Pffft!"_ The Stolls burst out laughing.

"I shouldn't find this funny!" Connor said, still laughing despite this.

"That's terrible!" Travis added in between his laughter.

"Of course you'd find this funny, this is exactly what you guys would do." Katie rolled her eyes. She turned her attention to Leo. "And you can't just take someone's laundry to use for _bait!_ Why don't you use your own?"

"I didn't have enough clothes." Leo lied.

Crossing her arms, Katie raised an eyebrow. "Frank barely prepared for the trip."

"Well..." Leo shifted. "We needed _somebody's_ clothes to throw off the scent and Frank's laundry just so happened to lying around."

"Since you were so eager to take his extra clothes, I hope you're willing to lend him some of yours." Katie sniffed.

"I asked Buford to get them laundered and folded while he was gone!" Leo told her. 

"That still doesn't mean you take it!" the daughter of Demeter scolded.

**..."Those were my only extra pants!"**

**Leo shrugged. "I asked Buford to get them laundered and folded while he's out. Hopefully he will." He rubbed his hands and grinned. "Well! I call that a good day's work. I'm gonna calculate our detour route now. See you all at dinner!"**

Katie rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you right now."

**Percy passed out early, which left Annabeth with nothing to do in the evening except stare at her computer.**

**She'd brought Daedalus's laptop with her, of course.**

Athena's expression softened. She smiled sadly.

Percy grinned at the girl. "Of course."

"What? It'll come in handy." Annabeth grinned back.

**Two years ago, she'd inherited the machine from the greatest inventor of all time,**

"Greatest inventor might be pushing it." Leo remarked with a frown. "Sure Daedalus is cool and all with his wings and the labyrinth, but he's got nothing on Archimedes."

Annabeth's head snapped to look at him.

"Are you kidding? Daedalus is the best inventor there ever was!"

"Here we go..." Percy groaned. He slumped back in his chair. Annabeth continued her rant as if he hadn't commented.

"He created masts and sails for King Minos' navy and carved figurines that were not only life-like but the first to move their arms and legs. He became so skilled in creating statues, that he made an entire army of Automatons right here in New York City! Right under the gods' noses!"

Zeus scowled. The other Olympians grumbled under their breath.

"Can't believe we missed that." Apollo said to himself.

Leo tried not to look impressed.

"Big deal, he invented action figures." he said dismissively. "Archimedes-"

"I'm not done yet." Annabeth patiently interrupted. 

Leo huffed and made a big show of rolling his eyes.

"He was so knowledgeable that, using his nephew's rough designs, he was able to make an artificial body that allowed him to live for _centuries!_ He could've lived forever if Daedalus wanted to. He had so many ideas that he couldn't even complete them all! He crammed them into this tiny laptop!"

Annabeth took a deep breath. "And _that's_ why Daedalus is the greatest inventor of all time."

"Very passionate." Percy said dryly, head resting on his hand. "Now can we continue with the stor-"

"Hold on! We didn't get a chance to hear about the awesomeness that is Archimedes!" Leo protested.

"No!" the demigods groaned. The only ones who seemed interested in the debate were Nyssa and Jake, who were watching the two like a tennis match.

"Go ahead. He can't top Daedalus." Annabeth challenged.

"I'll admit, Daedalus did some pretty impressive things, but it's nothing compared to my man Archimedes." Leo began, ignoring the groans from the others.

" _Gods_ these guys are such nerds." Clarisse muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Everything he did literally shaped the world into what it is today. He calculated the value of pi, which is what we use in engineering. He invented the hydraulic screw that could move water through pipes. It's not just used for that today. You can find the Archimedes screw in all sorts of things! Like power drills and snow blowers! And if that doesn't impress you, Archimedes invented a giant claw that could pick up enemy ships from the sea and a tower that reflects the sun to burn them to a crisp!"

"Didn't they prove that impossible on MythBusters or something?" Travis yawned. Connor elbowed him.

"Dude, shut up. If you ask questions this'll never end!" he hissed. The Stoll grimaced at that.

"Don't believe everything you see on TV." Leo said. "Anyways, the reason why Archimedes is the greatest inventor of all time is because his discoveries and inventions led to even _more_ discoveries and creations that improved mankind."

The son of Hephaestus crossed his arms and smirked, looking very proud of himself.

"Couldn't you have just said that?" Nico grumbled.

"Those are good points..." Annabeth admitted. She tapped a finger on her chin, pretending to be in thought. "I guess I'd be willing to consider Archimedes to be the _second_ greatest inventor..."

Leo froze.

"No way! After all that, you really think he deserves _second place?!"_ _  
_

"They're both the greatest inventors of all time! Can we _please_ just finish this chapter." Percy stepped in. 

Neither of the two looked happy with his suggestion, but backed down.

" _Both?_ Where's the fun in that?" Leo grumbled, pinching out a couple flames on his jacket.

"You're just saying that because this isn't your chapter anymore..." Annabeth complained under her breath.

The demigods let out sighs of relief as Demeter continued reading.

**...She sat on her bunk, using one of Daedalus's 3-D-rendering programs to study a model of the Parthenon in Athens.**

Annabeth smirked at Leo and silently gestured to the book as if to ask: _Can Archimedes' hydraulic screw do this?_

The son of Hephaestus just huffed.

**She'd always yearned to visit it, both because she loved architecture and because it was the most famous temple to her mother.**

Annabeth and her mother shared a smile.

**...She didn't want to, but she recalled her argument with her mother. Even after so many weeks, the words still stung.**

Annabeth's face fell. Her body went rigid. 

_I have to know what happened._ she told herself, swallowing thickly. Annabeth squeezed her necklace as the goddess continued reading.

**Annabeth had been riding the subway back from the Upper East Side after visiting Percy's mom.**

Poseidon sadly smiled as he thought of Sally.

**During those long months when Percy was missing, Annabeth made the trip at least once a week— partly to give Sally Jackson and her husband Paul an update on the search, and partly because Annabeth and Sally needed to lift each other's spirits and convince one another that Percy would be fine.**

Percy winced but sent Annabeth a grateful look. "Thanks."

She nodded, eyes fixated on the book. Her heart raced in anticipation.

**...She had just passed Sweet on America, the candy shop where Percy's mom used to work,**

Percy cheered up a bit at the mention of the store. He remembered all the times his mom brought back blue candy.

**and was thinking about going inside to buy some blue candy for old times' sake,**

Percy grinned at Annabeth, but she was too distracted to notice.

**when she saw Athena studying the subway map on the wall.**

Annabeth's posture grew more tense.

The others grimaced.

_I can only imagine how well this went..._ Leo thought with a cringe.

Athena stiffened.

**"Mother!" Annabeth couldn't believe it. She hadn't seen her mom in months—not since Zeus had closed the gates of Olympus and forbidden all communication with demigods.**

The Olympians shifted uncomfortably. A few chose not to meet their children's eyes.

**Many times, Annabeth had tried to call on her mom anyway, pleading for guidance, sending up burnt offerings with every meal at camp. She'd had no response.**

Annabeth suppressed the urge to sigh. She looked back at her mother, who sat upright. The goddess was listening intently to the reading.

_You know this is going to end in a fight. You know how she acts when the Romans are involved. Don't be surprised with how she's going to behave._ Annabeth warned herself. She played with the ring on her necklace.

**Now here was Athena, dressed in jeans and hiking boots and a red flannel shirt, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders. She held a backpack and a walking stick like she was prepared for a long journey.**

**"I must return home," Athena murmured, studying the map. "The way is complex. I wish  
Odysseus were here. He would understand."**

The goddess of wisdom bit her lip. 

_Did she hear me or is she just ignoring me?_ A couple days ago, she wouldn't have even considered her mother doing such a thing, but with her recent behavior, Annabeth wouldn't be surprised.

Annabeth took a deep breath and shakily exhaled.

**"Mom!" Annabeth said. "Athena!"**

**The goddess turned. She seemed to look right through Annabeth with no recognition.**

Annabeth clenched her necklace tighter. She wasn't sure what to make of this.

**"That was my name," the goddess said dreamily. "Before they sacked my city, took my identity, made me this." She looked at her clothes in disgust.**

Athena had an identical look on her face.

**"I must return home."**

"She must really be out of it if she's talking like this." Apollo muttered to his sister.

**Annabeth stepped back in shock. "You're...you're Minerva?"**

Athena's form rippled. She winced.

"Of course not!" the goddess exclaimed, regaining her form.

Annabeth looked down at her shoes.

**"Don't call me that!" The goddess's gray eyes flared with anger. "I used to carry a spear and a shield. I held victory in the palm of my hand. I was so much more than this."**

Athena clenched her hands into fists.

**"Mom." Annabeth's voice trembled. "It's me, Annabeth. Your _daughter_."**

**"My daughter..." Athena repeated. "Yes, my children will avenge me. They must destroy the Romans. Horrible, dishonorable, copycat Romans. Hera argued that we must keep the two camps apart. I said, No, let them fight. Let my children destroy the usurpers."**

The demigods winced.

Zeus rubbed his temples.

The other gods rolled their eyes.

"We wanted them separated, not obliterated." Demeter told the goddess pointedly.

"Speak for yourself, the Greeks would win and the Romans what they deserve it for what they did to me." Athena said. "I will never forgive them!"

"Trust me, we know." Hermes said, crossing his arms.

**Annabeth's heartbeat thumped in her ears. "You _wanted_ that? But you're wise. You understand warfare better than any—"**

"I do, but I'm willing to make an expectation with this." Athena said. "I refuse to let them get away with what they've done."

"But it won't help with our cause." Annabeth found the courage to say. She couldn't bring herself to meet Athena's eyes as she twirled her necklace chain around her finger. "How are we supposed to defeat the giants _and_ Gaea if we aren't working with the Romans?"

"How can you defeat the giants _and_ Gaea when you're working with those devious Romans?" Athena challenged. "You've heard how they treated your existence, they will never accept you or any of the Greeks as allies."

Annabeth frowned at the memory. "Yeah they were pretty rude, but they're not all like that."

"I guess you're going to learn the hard way." her mother said flatly.

**"Once!" the goddess said. "Replaced. Sacked. Looted like a trophy and carted off—away from my beloved homeland. I lost so much. I swore I would never forgive. Neither would my children."**

Athena sat in her throne, tight-lipped and fists shaking.

**She focused more closely on Annabeth. "You are my daughter?"**

**"Yes."**

**The goddess fished something from the pocket of her shirt—an old-fashioned subway token—and pressed it into Annabeth's hand.**

**"Follow the Mark of Athena," the goddess said. "Avenge me."**

Annabeth grimaced. She looked like she was going to be sick.

_**...The Mark of Athena.** _

**At the time, Annabeth had had no idea what it meant. She didn't understand why her mom was acting like this. Minerva or not, she shouldn't be so confused.**

_I still can't believe that she's acting like this._ Annabeth thought. _It's so surreal._

**"Mom..." She tried to make her tone as reasonable as possible. "Percy is missing. I need your help." She had started to explain Hera's plan for bringing the camps together to battle Gaea and the giants, but the goddess stamped her walking stick against the marble floor.**

**"Never!" she said. "Anyone who helps Rome must perish. If you would join them, you are no child of mine. You have already failed me."**

Annabeth reared back as if she'd been slapped. Percy grimaced and pulled her into a one-armed hug.

_What kind of parent says that to their kid?_ he thought.

" _Athena!"_ Hestia said sharply.

Said goddess looked just as shocked as everyone else. Her jaw dropped and her eyes were wide in disbelief.

"A-Annabeth, I'm sorry." she said hurriedly when she finally found her voice. "I would never mean that. You'll always be my daughter, no matter what we disagree on."

Annabeth silently leaned in to Percy's embrace.

**"I care nothing about this _Percy_. If he has gone over to the Romans, let him perish. Kill him.**

_"What?"_ Annabeth gasped. 

Poseidon glared at the goddess.

Athena would've glared back if she wasn't still caught up in her previous statement.

_Did I really say that to my own daughter?_ the goddess of wisdom thought in a daze. She rubbed her forehead with a hand.

**Kill all the Romans. Find the Mark, follow it to its source. Witness how Rome has disgraced me, and pledge your vengeance."**

**"Athena isn't the goddess of revenge." Annabeth's nails bit into her palms. The silver coin seemed to grow warmer in her hand. "Percy is everything to me."**

**"And revenge is everything to me," the goddess snarled. "Which of us is wiser?"**

"Definitely not you Ms. Goddess of Wisdom." Hermes said flatly. 

**"Something is _wrong_ with you. What's happened?"**

_Rome._ Annabeth thought miserably.

**"Rome happened!" the goddess said bitterly. "See what they have done, making a _Roman_ of me. They wish me to be their goddess? Then let them taste their own evil. Kill them, child."**

Annabeth shook her head. "I won't do it! There has to be another way."

**..."Then you are nothing."**

Annabeth squeezed her eyes shut.

"She said it _again!"_ Hermes said in disbelief. "She really said that _twice_. _"_

"I always knew she was bad, but I never thought she'd go this far..." Apollo commented.

**The goddess turned to the subway map. Her expression softened, becoming confused and unfocused. "If I could find the route...the way home, then perhaps— But, no. Avenge me or leave me. You are no child of mine."**

_I should've just left her staring at that map._ Annabeth thought, blinking back tears. She took a deep breath and tried to relax. 

**Annabeth's eyes stung. She thought of a thousand horrible things she wanted to say, but she couldn't. She had turned and fled.**

"I can't blame you." Percy muttered to her.

The others gave her sympathetic looks.

**She'd tried to throw away the silver coin, but it simply reappeared in her pocket, the way Riptide did for Percy. Unfortunately, Annabeth's drachma had no magical powers—at least nothing useful. It only gave her nightmares, and no matter what she tried, she couldn't get rid of it.**

Annabeth tensed.

_Please don't go into detail about the nightmares. Please be over soon._ she couldn't help but silently plead.

**Now, sitting in her cabin aboard the Argo II, she could feel the coin growing warm in her pocket. She stared at the model of the Parthenon on her computer screen and thought about the argument with Athena. Phrases she'd heard over the last few days swirled in her head: _A talented friend, ready for her visitor. No one will retrieve that statue. Wisdom's daughter walks alone._**

Annabeth grimaced.

**She was afraid she finally understood what it all meant. She prayed to the gods that she was wrong.**

Percy wanted to ask what she was talking about, but the look on Annabeth's expression made him stay quiet.

**A knock on her door made her jump.**

_Thank gods,_ Annabeth thought. _I could use a distraction._

**She hoped it might be Percy, but instead Frank Zhang poked his head in.**

The demigods blinked in confusion, even Leo looked up from his shoelaces with a bewildered expression.

"What's Frank doing here?" the son of Hephaestus couldn't help but ask.

**"Um, sorry," he said. "Could I—?"**

**She was so startled to see him, it took her a moment to realize he wanted to come in.**

**"Sure," she said. "Yes."**

**He stepped inside, looking around the cabin. There wasn't much to see. On her desk sat a stack of books, a journal and pen, and a picture of her dad flying his Sopwith Camel biplane, grinning and giving the thumbs-up.**

Annabeth relaxed a bit at the description. She had a faint smile on her face.

**...It reminded her of the time she'd felt closest to him, when he'd strafed an army of monsters with Celestial bronze machine guns just to protect her—pretty much the best present a girl could hope for.**

"Not many people can say their dad did that." Percy remarked.

"Yeah." she said. Annabeth gave the ring on her necklace a warm grin.

**Hanging from a hook on the wall was her New York Yankees cap, her most prized possession from her mom. Once, the cap had had the power to turn its wearer invisible.**

Annabeth's smile faltered. _Once had?_

**Since Annabeth's argument with Athena, the cap had lost its magic.**

Her face fell. Annabeth looked down at her lap.

"Okay, now you're just being petty." Hermes told Athena. "How are you going to take away a power that turns the wearer invisible? Wouldn't that be useful to have on this quest _and_ finding your statue?"

_That was foolish._ Athena silently admitted, her usually proper posture now slouched.

**Annabeth wasn't sure why, but she'd stubbornly brought it along on the quest.**

_Because it reminds you of your mother..._ Hestia thought sadly. She half-heartedly probed her hearth.

**..."So...Frank," she ventured. "What can I do for you?"**

**Out of all the kids on the ship, Frank was the one she thought least likely to pay her a visit. She didn't feel any less confused when he blushed and pulled his Chinese handcuffs out of his pocket.**

Travis forced out a snicker. "Did he come to Annabeth to learn the trick?"

**"I don't like being in the dark about this," he muttered. "Could you show me the trick? I didn't feel comfortable asking anyone else."**

Annabeth looked up in surprise.

"Even Hazel?" Leo said.

"He's probably too embarrassed to ask her for the trick." Mitchell said with a shrug.

_So he asked me?_ Annabeth thought. She couldn't help but feel touched. They had only known each other for a couple days, but Frank still trusted her enough to turn to her for help.

**Annabeth processed his words with a slight delay. Wait...Frank was asking _her_ for help? Then it dawned on her: of course, Frank was embarrassed. Leo had been razzing him pretty hard.**

Leo frowned, thinking back. _I was making fun of him a lot... Especially with that Wanted poster thing..._

His frown deepened. _That wasn't even funny, why would I say that?_

Leo played with the end of his shoelace.

**Nobody liked being a laughingstock. Frank's determined expression said he never wanted that to happen again. He wanted to understand the puzzle, without the iguana solution.**

**...She patted the bunk next to her. "Absolutely. Sit down."**

**Frank sat on the edge of the mattress... Annabeth took the Chinese handcuffs and held them next to her computer.**

**She hit the key for an infrared scan. A few seconds later a 3-D model of the Chinese handcuffs appeared on the screen. She turned the laptop so that Frank could see.**

"Um... That's cool and all," Connor began. "But couldn't you just show him through a demonstration? You don't need to use the computer."

Annabeth's ears went red.

"Yeah," she admitted. Annabeth shrugged as if it didn't matter. "But I already have the laptop out, I might as well use it."

**"How did you do that?" he marveled.**

Annabeth silently sighed with relief. _At least Frank didn't notice._

**"Cutting-edge Ancient Greek technology," she said. "Okay, look. The structure is a cylindrical biaxial braid, so it has excellent resilience." She manipulated the image so it squeezed in and out like an accordion. "When you put your fingers inside, it loosens. But when you try to remove them, the circumference shrinks as the braid catches and tightens. There's no way you can pull free by struggling."**

"Oh great, I thought we were done with the Nerd Conference." Clarisse grumbled.

**Frank stared at her blankly. "But what's the answer?"**

"I know the trick and even I couldn't follow along with all that." Chris admitted.

**"Well..." She showed him some of her calculations—how the handcuffs could resist tearing under incredible stress, depending on the material used in the braid. "Pretty amazing for a woven structure, right? Doctors use it for traction, and electrical contractors—"**

"I'm rambling again." Annabeth muttered.

**"Uh, but the answer?"**

**Annabeth laughed. "You don't fight against the handcuffs. You push your fingers in, not out. That loosens the braid."**

**"Oh." Frank tried it. It worked.**

"No more iguana situation." Hestia grinned.

**"Thanks, but...couldn't you have just shown me on the handcuffs without the 3-D program and the calculations?"**

The Stolls snickered.

"I guess..." Annabeth's ears were turning red again. "But it wouldn't be nearly as cool."

**[Annabeth]..."I guess you're right. That was silly. I learned something too."**

**Frank tried the handcuffs again. "It's easy when you know the solution."**

**"Many of the best traps are simple," Annabeth said. "You just have to think about it, and hope your victim doesn't."**

**Frank nodded. He seemed reluctant to leave.**

**"You know," Annabeth said, "Leo doesn't intend to be mean. He's just got a big mouth. When people make him nervous, he uses humor as a defense."**

Leo made a face. "Am I that easy to read?"

"No, I'm just that observant." Annabeth told him with a grin.

"Right, I forgot. You've been practicing for years." he grinned back.

**Frank frowned. "Why would I make him nervous?"**

"It's pretty obvious. You have Hazel and he doesn't." Aphrodite giggled.

Leo winced. "You didn't have to word it like that." He scuffed the floor with his heel. "Besides, that wouldn't make me nervous, that'd make me..." He trailed off.

Jealous.

He did all that because he was jealous.

_I told a guy I'm worth more than him, because he's dating someone I liked..._ Leo brushed his hair back. _How lame can I get?_

He really needed to say sorry to Frank when he got back.

**"You're twice his size. You can turn into a dragon." _And Hazel likes you,_ Annabeth thought, though she didn't say that.**

Leo cringed.

**Frank didn't look convinced. "Leo can summon fire." He twisted the handcuffs. "Annabeth...sometime, maybe could you help me with another problem that's not so simple? I've got...I guess you'd call it an Achilles' heel."**

The demigods tensed. Leo quietly tied his shoe.

"Frank has an Achilles' heel too?" Percy said, eyes wide in surprise. 

"That would explain why Leo was so reluctant to talk about what the eidolon meant earlier." Annabeth said, glancing at the son of Hephaestus. Said boy refused to make eye contact.

"It's not really something I should be telling everyone." Leo said. Annabeth's expression softened in understanding.

"I know." she said. "It's good Frank trusts you with something like this."

He considered this before Leo sighed. "Yeah..."

**Annabeth felt like she'd just had a drink of Roman hot chocolate. She'd never really gotten the term _warm and fuzzy_ , but Frank gave her that sensation. He was just a big teddy bear.**

_He's really a sweet guy._ Annabeth agreed.

**She could see why Hazel liked him. "I'd be happy to," she said. "Does anyone else know about this Achilles' heel?"**

**"Percy and Hazel," he said. "That's it. Percy...he's a really good guy. I would follow him anywhere. Thought you should know."**

Percy gave a small smile. "You're a pretty good guy too, Frank."

**Annabeth patted his arm. "Percy has a knack for picking good friends. Like you. But, Frank, you can trust anyone on this ship. Even Leo. We're all a team. We have to trust each other."**

Percy nodded his head in agreement. "Right."

**"I—I suppose."**

**"So what's the weakness you're worried about?"**

**The dinner bell sounded, and Frank jumped.**

**"Maybe...maybe later," he said. "It's hard to talk about. But thanks, Annabeth." He held up the Chinese handcuffs. "Keep it simple."**

"That's the end of the chapter." Demeter said.

The others let a sigh of relief. 

"Finally." Annabeth said, feeling drained.

"I think we should have a break after this." Percy said, eyeing his girlfriend in concern.

"I agree." Athena said, speaking up for the first time.

The others voiced their agreements.

"Very well..." Zeus said, raising from his throne.

Leo stood up along with the others, he could feel the book weigh heavily in his tool belt.

_Guess now's a good time to find those ingredients._ he thought, following the readers out. 

_I just have to find a place where I can be alone..._ Leo looking around the hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *~ 4'11 = 149.86 centimeters   
> 4'3 = 129.54 centimeters


	18. Annabeth XVIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very sorry about the loss of the original chapter! I wrote the whole thing out, posted it, then was like 'I hate the beginning' then promptly deleted it and decided to start over. I know I could've edited the chapter, but I didn't want others who have read the original to miss the changes (especially since it changes the whole direction of the plot). Thanks for being so patient with me and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Leo straggled behind the others far enough that he was able to duck into the nearest room without them noticing.

Inside was the most extravagant game room he'd ever seen. In the back, there was a sectional sofa facing a plasma-screen TV and shelves of different kinds of consoles and video games. Lined around the walls were old-school arcade games like _Dragon's Lair, Pac-Man,_ and a few other titles Leo remembered the foster kids at Teresa's home talk about. In the center of the room, there were a ping-pong, fuse ball, _and_ air hockey table lined side-by-side.

Seeing this room, Leo couldn't help but wonder why the gods would choose to take them to the boring dining room and not here. Sure the dining room was a good place to unwind and just talk, but if he could pick where to go for a break, _this_ would've been his choice.

 _Then again, once Mr. D starts playing Pac-Man, he won't want to quit to read a book._ Leo thought, recalling Percy mention the god's habit of playing the game.

Leo walked around the room, taking in the bright colors and noises.

He could imagine the demigods being reluctant to leave as well. He could almost see the Stolls playing against each other at fuse ball, trying to cheat, and somehow Katie would get roped in as the referee. The TV still had a Wii connected to it, maybe the Aphrodite Cabin would be playing Just Dance or Mario Party? That'd be crazy, the siblings would be yelling and shrieking the moment someone... Wait. Was that a Mythomagic arcade game? He wondered how a younger Nico DiAngelo would react to that. If he was anything like Percy and Thalia described, he would've probably went insa-

 _You're getting distracted._ Leo reminded himself, snapping out of his thoughts. _You don't have much time left before the others notice you're missing._ He frowned. _If_ _they hadn't noticed already._

With this in mind, Leo pulled out the book from his toolbelt and flipped to the page he was reading in the morning. He painstakingly skimmed through the reading, until his eyes landed on the information he was looking for:

 **The Physician's Cure is a potion that can bring the dead back to life only if administered quickly.** Leo grimaced. _That's going to be hard to do._ Deciding to think about it later, he continued reading. **With the three ingredients, Pylosian mint, the chained god's heartbeat, and the Curse of Delos, Asclepius was the only known person to successfully cure death...**

Leo paused and immediately dog-eared the page and rested the book on the ping-pong table. Taking out his notepad and pen, he wrote down the items, heart racing a mile a minute.

This is it. He found it. He actually did it! And to think, all he had to do was open a book and read! Leo couldn't help but smile at the simplicity of it. No finding cryptic immortals, no fighting monsters, no walking into traps! Just look for the answers in a book. It was a nice change of pace from his usual 'wing-it' method.

 _But how will I find this stuff?_ Leo slowly frowned, leaning over the table. _What even are these things? The first one is easy, it's obviously some kind of plant, but the chained god's heartbeat? The Curse of Delos? Don't tell me the Curse of Delos is another potion with_ _more_ _ingredients I have to find..._

Leo made a face at the thought.

Delos... Delos... He's sworn he heard that name before... Something about Apollo and Artemis?

Leo looked through his book. The twins wouldn't have their own chapters, obviously, but he remembered seeing their names mentioned in a little chapter about a goddess...

He was so invested on finding the page (Seriously, he _just_ past it), that he didn't notice the door opening until he heard voices.

" _See?_ I told you he would go here. Now pay up!"

"I really hate you, you know that?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, hand it over."

Leo's head snapped up, half-expecting it to be Will and Nico again, only to see a defeated Apollo handing a harmonica in Hermes' outreached hand.

"I swear you cheated somehow..." Apollo pouted, staring longingly at the tiny instrument. Hermes rolled his eyes and pocketed the harmonica.

"Not everything I do involves cheating. Most of it, but not all. I actually used common sense with this one. I mean honestly, if I was a kid and I were taking a break, this is where I'd go to..." the god trailed off when he noticed what Leo was doing. "To read another book?"

The boy fumbled, nearly dropping said book in an attempt to hide it. He shoved it back in his tool belt.

"Oh you know me," Leo said, trying to sound conversational. "I'm always doing something weird. I'm a total weirdo." He covered his notes with previous doodles and shoved his pen in his jacket pocket.

Now Apollo was frowning at him.

"Uh-huh." Hermes said flatly. "So you want to tell us what you're doing here? Clearly you're not playing any games."

"Um..." Leo's eyes darted around the room. How can he lie to a god who practically invented them? Compared to him, Leo couldn't lie to save his life.

His gaze landed on Apollo, who only seemed half-interested on what's going on. The god had his arms crossed and his eyebrows furrowed, probably still upset about losing yet another instrument.

The Curse of Delos...

Apollo had to know something about it, right? Leo knew that Delos and him were somehow connected. If anybody could tell him what this curse was, it was Apollo. But if he asked about it, they would no doubt want to know why. Could he really tell them his plan? How would they react? What if they told the others?

Silently mulling it over, Leo bit his lip and glanced at the two immortals. He drummed his fingers on the ping-pong table.

"Okay," Leo sighed. He squared his shoulders and gave the gods a serious expression. "I'm going to tell you something really important, but you gotta swear on the River of Styx not to repeat this to anyone else."

Hermes blinked. Apollo stopped moping. Clearly neither of them were expecting this. The two exchanged glances and shrugged simultaneously.

"We swear on the River of Styx." they said.

Thunder boomed overhead and Leo felt a sense of dread. A part of him had been hoping they'd refuse. Now there's no reason not to tell them.

Leo brushed his hair back. "It's still a work in progress, but I think I've found a way to defeat Gaea when she wakes up."

That got their interest.

"Wait..." Apollo paled. "Did you say when?"

Leo sighed miserably. "She's getting stronger day by day, it's only a matter of time before she's powerful enough to wake from her sleep." He played with the buttons on his jacket. "And when that happens, I'm going to fly myself straight at her and blow up. It's not going to kill her, obviously, but I'm hoping it would scatter her essence in a way that she can't reform again. Hopefully."

Leo leafed through his notepad and studied his calculations. He already checked it over a dozen times, but a few more wouldn't hurt. "I did the math and it should be possible if she's weak enough." He kept his eyes trained on the paper.

"I'm sorry, but are we just going to look over the fact that you said that you plan on _blowing yourself up?!"_ Hermes exclaimed. "Gaea won't die, but you will!"

Leo winced.

"Look, there's no way that everyone's going to come back from this quest alive, it's just not possible. One of us has to go. So it's better that I do this and end the war, then let any of my friends die."

" _Fates..."_ Apollo muttered, slumping against the fuse ball table.

Hermes was pacing.

Leo gave them a strained smile. "I know it sounds bad, but it's fine. If I have to go, I'd rather it be with a bang!" He forced himself to laugh. "Get it? A _bang?"_

His joke was met with sour looks. Leo ducked his head and stared at the numbers. "I also have another part to this. I plan on using the Physician's Cure, to bring me back to life."

The gods went rigid.

"Oh no." Apollo said, face growing paler. "No _no no no no._ **_No!_** How do you even know about tha-?" He froze, eyes wide in realization.

"Please don't tell me you got this idea from what I said!" The god pleaded. "Please tell me that you had this all planned out before you came here."

Leo stayed quiet. Apollo cursed under his breath and kicked the leg of the table.

"Hephaestus is going to kill me!" the god groaned. "Dad's going to kill me! Don't you know that the Physician's Cure is strictly off-limits?!"

"I don't have a choice!" Leo told him. "I'd be fine with dying, but I made a promise to someone that I'd come back for them."

"Who?" Apollo demanded. Leo went quiet.

The god scoffed. "Figures you don't want to talk."

He went for the doorway. "Whelp, I've heard enough. Good luck with your suicide mission."

"What? You can't leave!" Leo yelped. He ran in front of him and blocked the door with his body. It was ridiculous, considering the god could've easily shoved him aside, but Apollo simply scowled at him in annoyance. "I need your help! I know the names of the potion's ingredients, but I don't know what exactly are they and where to find them! I also need help finding Asclep-"

"Why should I help you? You've already put me through enough trouble!" Apollo snapped. "Once everyone finds out I was the one who inspired this stupid idea, they're going to want my head! Do you understand? Hades will see this as a personal offense, Hephaestus will be furious I allowed this to happen, and dear old Dad's been itching to take his anger out on someone! I'll be lucky if he doesn't turn me mortal!"

"He has a point, Apollo would be making a huge risk." Hermes said with a pained look. "The Physician's Cure will ruin the natural order of things. We can't share its ingredients or use it ourselves, no matter what the costs."

Leo frowned. "Even if that person sacrifices themselves to save the world?"

Hermes' shoulders slumped, he stared at the ground. The god suddenly looked like he aged a few centuries in those passing seconds. "Even then."

"See? You heard the guy. Now move out of the way."

" _Wait!"_ Leo insisted, pressing his body firmly against the closed door. He felt his mind working overdrive. He should've known the gods wouldn't give it up so easily. He should've known that the gods wouldn't care about his promise. For them, the sacrifice was sad but not moving enough for them to go against two of the Big Three.

 _Com'on Valdez! Think! Do something! You have to get Apollo to tell you about the Physician's Cure and where Asclepius is!_ His mind was racing with ideas. He thought about Bacchus and how he asked Percy for a tribute. _Maybe I could give Apollo something? But what can I give him?_

Leo suddenly remembered the earlier exchange with the harmonica. An idea formed in his head. A stupid idea, but he didn't have much of a choice.

He hastily pulled things out from his toolbelt- copper wire, some bolts, a brass funnel (that got a raised eyebrow from Hermes). He twisted wires together.

"Are you sure you don't want to tell me? I'll give you something worth your while." Leo said. His hands worked furiously attaching levers, fastening the metal funnel to an old gear shaft.

Apollo eyed the contraption and huffed. "Like what? Your trash? Forget it."

" _Trash?"_ Leo exclaimed, making a big show of looking offended. He strung some wires across the mouth of the funnel. "I was going to offer you the greatest instrument of all time! But if you really want to call it trash, fine."

Heart hammering in his chest, he stepped aside from the door.

"I bet you couldn't even play it anyway." Leo muttered loudly.

Like he hoped, Apollo hesitated.

"Now hold on," he began. "I'm the god of _music._ I can play anything, even..." Apollo frowned at the machine. "Whatever _that_ is... Um... What is it supposed to be?"

Good question. The son of Hephaestus looked down at his newly made instrument.

Layers of copper crisscrossed inside the funnel. Rows of striking pins were controlled by levers on the outside of the cone, which was fixed to a square metal base with a bunch of crank handles. It looked like a music box fused with a old-fashioned phonograph. Not pretty, but it didn't matter as long as it worked.

" _This? Psh!"_ Leo held it out like was the greatest thing ever made. "This is the er... the _Valdezinator!"_ He inwardly cringed but pressed on. "It works by translating your feelings into music as you manipulate the gears!"

Hoping it won't blow up in his face, Leo turned the crank handles. He tried focusing on a feeling, something that would sound catchy. He thought back to the first time he flew on Festus' back. The adrenaline rush, the sense of accomplishment- _Oh!_ And seeing the looks on everyone's faces! That was hilarious!

The Valdezinator started to play. The bass resounded in the room with a lively beat, it reminded Leo of an anthem or something a marching band would play. He suddenly felt more awake, like he dunked his face in cold water.

Apollo's eyes were wide in awe as they listened to the whole song play through. By the time it was over, Leo's smile became more genuine.

"See? All that with a few turns! It's that easy!" Leo bragged. He paused, pretending to consider something. "Well... easy for _me_. I doubt _you_ could pull it off, even if you are the god of music. This is way out of your league."

"I can do it!" Apollo insisted, reaching for the Valdezinator. Leo simply moved it out of his reach. "I must have it! What did you say you wanted again?"

"Apollo! You're not supposed to tell him." Hermes warned with gritted teeth. The god hesitated at that. Leo rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"Don't listen to him. He's the one who's been stealing your instruments, remember?" Leo reminded, earning a sharp glare from the god.

" _Leonidas..."_ Hermes growled.

Leo gulped at his reaction, but forced himself to think happy thoughts- his mom, his friends, Calypso (… Don't think too hard about it, Valdez). He turned the levers on his machine, soon the game room sounded like it was having a jazz concert. Leo bounced on the balls of his feet.

"Could you imagine playing this at a party?" he asked, snapping his fingers to the beat. "You were chasing nymphs before, but with this, they'll be chasing _you._ "

Apollo reached for the instrument again. "It's beautiful! I have to have it!"

"Whoa there, Music Man!" Leo moved away from the god's arm distance. "Information first, _then_ instrument."

"I'll tell you how to get to Asclepius!" Apollo bargained. Hermes facepalmed and Leo snorted.

"Are you kidding? You're telling me to part with _the_ Valdezinator just for some lousy directions? How do I know he'll even help me?"

"You're going to regret this Apollo." Hermes warned, but his brother was too far gone. Apollo greedily stared at the machine.

"He'll help! Asclepius won't need much convincing, especially after you say that I sent you." Apollo hurriedly said. "You said you needed the Physician's Cure, I can give you the Curse of Delos!"

Leo froze, the Valdezinator faltered, before playing a more somber tune. "You're going to give me a curse?"

Apollo groaned in exasperation. "It's not really a curse. It's a flower that grows on the island of Delos. When Artemis and I were born, the island was so happy it bloomed millions of them."

" _Ssooo_ I could just visit the island and get a bunch for myself?"

"Not for the potion you want. Only Artie and I can pick the flower from the island for it considered to be a Curse of Delos." Apollo grinned. "So what do you say? Deal?"

Leo pretended to think about it. He manipulated the Valdezinator to play the Jeopardy think music.

"You drive a hard bargain..." he paused. "But you've got yourself a deal."

 _"Yes!"_ Apollo cheered, snatching the machine from Leo's hands. Hermes was scowling, but he couldn't help but give Leo a look of grudging respect.

"I hope you know what you're doing." the god said to his brother. 

* * *

 

The rest of the readers were patiently waiting in the throne room, talking amongst each other. Athena was staring off at nothing, deep in thought. But other than the her, everyone seemed to be in a more upbeat mood.

The talking slowly stopped and the readers looked up in confusion when they heard something that sounded like an engine starting on a cold morning.

The noise grew louder and more shrill, a few people winced, now turning their attention at whatever was coming down the hallway.

"-inking about a memory would help." Leo's voice managed to be heard through the noise's screeching.

"I got it. I got it." They heard Apollo say dismissively. There was a pause then a noise that sounded like a trombone with a bad cold.

"What are they doing?" Artemis sighed.

Her question was answered when Apollo can in with... they weren't sure what it was... Some kind of phonograph? The god's attention was solely focused on the contraption. He turned a few handles, changing the sound of the machine as he did so. Leo was hovering around him, throwing in some advice here and there. Hermes stood behind the two, face expressionless and arms crossed.

"Turn that to lower the pitch." Leo instructed, reaching for the handle. Apollo swatted his hand away.

"I can figure it out on my own. I _am_ the god of music." he huffed, not noticing Leo roll his eyes. Realizing for the first time that they were in the throne room, Apollo beamed at his twin.

"Artie! Look what I got!" He sat in his throne and presented the machine to the goddess. Artemis eyed the machine in curiosity. "It's a _Valdezinator!_ The very first of it's kind! It plays music based off of the user's emotions."

Cranking a lever, Apollo winked at her. " _Hears_ how I feel about you."

An ear-piercing screech set off from the Valdezinator, everyone covered their ears. 

"It's not supposed to do that!" Leo shouted over the noise.

"Apollo, turn off that infernal racket!" Hera yelled.

"I can fix this!" Apollo assured. After a few cranks, the noise slowly died down. The god smiled proudly. "See?"

"Put that garbage away." Zeus ordered. Apollo and Leo looked offended.

 _"Garbage!"_ the son of Hephaestus exclaimed. _Why does everyone keep calling it that?_

"Dad, it's not garbage." Apollo defended. "It's a one-of-a-kind musical instrument. I know it sounds bad now, but I just need to practice-"

"I don't care! Get rid of it." Zeus snapped. Apollo narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. Glowering, the god snapped his fingers and the machine disappeared.

The god crossed his arms and slumped in his throne.

"Why'd you even make that?" Travis asked Leo.

The boy froze, he tried not to think about the Curse of Delos inside his tool belt. 

"Pet project." Leo said slowly, looking away. 

Travis frowned, for a moment Leo was worried what he was going to call him out on his bluff, but instead he shrugged. 

"If you say so." he said. Leo silently sighed with relief, he tore a page from his notepad and started folding.

Hestia took the book and started reading.

" **Annabeth XVIII** ," the goddess began.

Annabeth frowned.

 _I'm half-way there._ she coached herself. _I can do this._

Her words did little to boost her confidence.

**THAT NIGHT, ANNABETH SLEPT without nightmares,**

Athena and Percy relaxed.

Annabeth had mixed emotions over this. The last thing she wanted to hear right now was her nightmares, but was it really a good thing she hadn't had any? It felt like the calm before a storm.

She bit her lip and hoped she was wrong.

**...Leo docked the ship at a pier in Charleston Harbor, right next to the seawall. Along the shore was a historical district with tall mansions, palm trees, and wrought-iron fences. Antique cannons pointed at the water.**

Aphrodite sighed fondly at the description.

**By the time Annabeth came up on deck, Jason, Frank, and Leo had already left for the museum. According to Coach Hedge, they'd promised to be back by sunset... Annabeth turned to Percy, who was leaning on the starboard rail, gazing over the bay.**

**Annabeth took his hand. "What are you going to do while we're gone?"**

**"Jump into the harbor," he said casually, like another kid might say** **_, I'm going to get a snack._ **

Will frowned. "What happened to resting? You're still exhausted from the trip to the aquarium."

"The water will be good for him." Poseidon assured the son of Apollo. "If anything, going into the harbor will be better for him than sleeping."

"Yeah, Will." Percy couldn't help but say with a grin. "A trip to the harbor will be ten times better than being cooped on the ship." He still would've preferred going with the guys, but he'll take what he can get.

Will gave him a _'You're lucky'_ glare.

**"I want to try communicating with the local Nereids. Maybe they can give me some advice about how to free those captives in Atlanta. Besides, I think the sea might be good for me. Being in that aquarium made me feel...unclean."**

Poseidon nodded his head in approval.

 _Maybe this is where I meet Bill?_ Percy thought.

**His hair was dark and tangled as usual,**

_Please don't say something cheesy. Please don't talk about how I want to run my hands through it._ Annabeth pleaded.

**but Annabeth thought about the streak of gray he used to have on one side.**

Annabeth couldn't help but frown.

"Used too?" Percy said, frowning along with her. He subconsciously touched the strand of grey hair.

**When the two of them were fourteen, they'd taken turns (unwillingly) holding the weight of the sky.**

Percy, Annabeth, and Artemis grimaced.

The hunters scowled.

If possible, Apollo looked moodier at the reminder.

**The strain left them both with some gray hair. Over the last year, while Percy had been missing, the gray streaks had finally disappeared from both of them, which made Annabeth sad and a little worried. She felt like she'd lost a symbolic bond with Percy.**

"But how would we lose it? I thought that the grey hair was permanent." Percy said.

Annabeth shrugged. "Probably the same way you lost the Achilles' Heel. Too bad it's gone." she muttered.

"I know, can you imagine all the inside jokes we could've made?" Percy agreed.

"We can still make them up now." she pointed out. The two shared a small smile.

**Annabeth kissed him. "Good luck, Seaweed Brain. Just come back to me, okay?"**

**"I will," he promised. "You do the same."**

**Annabeth tried to push down her growing unease.**

Annabeth and Percy slowly frowned.

**She turned to Piper and Hazel. "Okay, ladies. Let's find the ghost of the Battery."**

Aphrodite blinked. "Huh? What ghost?"

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Haven't you been paying attention in the last chapter? Apparently there's been a ghost lurking around the park."

The goddess of love's eyebrows furrowed. _I've been to the Battery for ages and I've never seen a ghost._

**Afterward, Annabeth wished she'd jumped into the harbor with Percy. She even would've preferred a museum full of ghosts.**

The demigods tensed.

"Sounds like trouble." Will remarked with a grimace.

**Not that she minded hanging out with Hazel and Piper. At first, they had a pretty good time walking along the Battery...Lining the road were old Civil War cannons and bronze statues of historical figures, which made Annabeth shudder.**

This earned her confused glances from the others.

**She thought about the statues in New York City during the Titan War, which had come to life thanks to Daedalus's command sequence twenty-three. She wondered how many other statues around the country were secretly automatons, waiting to be triggered.**

A few demigods shuddered.

"That's... creepy." Travis summed up.

"Let's not think about that right now." Zeus grumbled. At this point, he wouldn't be surprised if the inventor did such a thing.

**Charleston Harbor glittered in the sun. To the north and south, strips of land stretched out like arms enclosing the bay, and sitting in the mouth of the harbor, about a mile out, was an island with a stone fort.**

Aphrodite smiled serenely.

Ares smiled viciously as he thought back to the bombardment.

**...Mostly she breathed in the sea air and thought about Percy.**

_"Aw!"_ the goddess of love cooed, her daughters following her lead.

**Gods forbid she ever had to break up with him. She'd never be able to visit the sea again without remembering her broken heart.**

Percy made a face. "Don't talk about things like that, we've only started dating yesterday."

"Sorry." Annabeth patted his hand.

**She was relieved when they turned away from the seawall and explored the inland side of the gardens.**

**...They strolled along South Battery Street, which was lined with four-story Colonial mansions. The brick walls were blanketed with ivy. The facades had soaring white columns like Roman temples. The front gardens were bursting with rosebushes, honeysuckle, and flowering bougainvillea...**

"Sounds beautiful, maybe I should visit sometime." Demeter said wistfully.

"You should, it's the perfect place to just go and get away from it all." Aphrodite encouraged.

 **"Kind of reminds me of New Rome," Hazel said. "All the big mansions and the gardens. The** **columns and arches."**

"I think that was the look they were going for." Annabeth remarked.

 **Annabeth nodded. She remembered reading how the American South had often compared itself to Rome back before the Civil War. In the old days their society had been all about impressive architecture, honor, and codes of chivalry. And on the evil side, it had also been about slavery.** **_Rome had slaves,_ ** **some Southerners had argued,** **_so why shouldn't we?_ **

"I can think of a million reasons." Percy said with a look of disgust.

 **Annabeth shivered. She loved the architecture here. The houses and the gardens were very**  
**beautiful, very Roman. But she wondered why beautiful things had to be wrapped up with evil history. Or was it the other way around? Maybe the evil history made it necessary to build beautiful things, to mask the darker aspects.**

"That's deep." Chris remarked.

"Wow Annabeth, you really are poetic." Connor gasped in fake awe.

"I have my moments." Annabeth said flatly.

**She shook her head. Percy would hate her getting so philosophical. If she tried to talk to him about stuff like that, his eyes glazed over.**

"I would not!" Percy said defensively. "I always listen to you when you have your 'Wise Girl' moments."

"Really?" she raised an eyebrow. "What were we talking about during the break?"

He froze. "Um..." Percy racked his brain for answers. "We talked about the improvements you'd make on Olympus. I liked the idea of an indoor fountain."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "Lucky guess."

"No it wasn't." he replied, silently sighing in relief. "I might not get everything, but I always listen."

"For the most part." she added.

**Piper kept looking around like she expected an ambush. She had said she'd seen this park in the blade of her knife, but she wouldn't elaborate. Annabeth guessed she was afraid to. After all, the last time Piper had tried to interpret a vision from her knife, Percy and Jason had almost killed each other in Kansas.**

Thalia and Percy exchanged looks.

Annabeth glared at the two, silently daring them to start arguing.

**Hazel also seemed preoccupied. Maybe she was taking in their surroundings, or maybe she was worrying about her brother. In less than four days, unless they found him and freed him, Nico would be dead.**

"Just in case anyone forgot." Nico said sarcastically

Annabeth cringed. "Sorry about that."

**Annabeth felt that deadline weighing on her, too. She'd always had mixed feelings about Nico diAngelo.**

_Here we go._ Nico scowled. _More talk on how much of a creep I am._

**She suspected that he'd had a crush on her ever since they rescued him and his big sister Bianca from that military academy in Maine;**

Nothing in the world could've prepared Nico for that.

He blinked once. Then he blinked twice. Nico wondered if he had misheard what Hestia had said.

 _Nico likes me...?_ Annabeth thought, eyebrows raised as high as they could go. Her eyes widened. _Where did I get that stupid idea? How could he like me? We barely know each other._ she considered the thought for a moment. _I mean... He tends to listen to me more than Percy, but I don't think that means he_ _likes_ _me. That's too... He's so..._

The Aphrodite Cabin's shrieking broke her chain of thought.

"So you've seen it too, right?" a girl asked excitedly.

Annabeth, still dazed, frowned. "Seen what?"

"The glares, the side comments, the scowls..." she listed off with her fingers. "Common symptoms of jealously."

"Wha..." Nico glared, face turning red. "I'm not jealous of Percy!"

"Another symptom: Denial." the girl added with a grave nod. The others nodded along, tsking in mock disappointment. "Worst case I've ever seen."

"He doesn't even do a good job in hiding it!" a sister teased. "You should just admit it already."

"Admit what?" he snapped. "There's nothing to admit!"

The girls just giggled in response. A few pushed and whispered to each other.

Nico felt his heart racing, he tried to control his breathing and calm himself down. He dared to glance at Percy. The son of Poseidon looked shocked by the news, but he gave Nico a grin.

"I can't blame you, Annabeth's amazing." Percy told him. Annabeth would've smiled if the situation didn't feel so awkward. She stared at her lap as the Aphrodite girls started shrieking.

Nico's face fell.

"I don't- I wasn't-" the boy fumbled. He looked from between Percy and the demigods. He felt his hands go clammy. He didn't have a crush on Annabeth, he actually wanted to hate her for having Percy. But how could he say that without them finding out the truth? How could he stop this conversation altogether? He felt his hands start to shake, Nico shoved them in his pockets.

 _I should've done a better job hiding my feelings._ Nico berated himself, choosing to ignore the eager whispers from Cabin Ten.

Will glared at them, trying to ignore the growing anxiety inside him. He always knew there was a chance Nico might not be into guys, he thought that he had been prepared for that if it ever happened. But hearing the possibility of him liking Annabeth Chase, made him feel like the wind was knocked out of him.

 _He didn't say 'yes'._ Will reminded himself, trying to be hopeful. _Even if he did, he could be bisexual._

He swallowed back his feeling of unease.

Hestia continued reading.

**but Annabeth had never felt any attraction to Nico. He was too young and too moody. There was a darkness in him that made her uneasy.**

The demigods winced.

Nico scowled. "Gee thanks."

Annabeth grimaced. "I'm sorry, I don't mean it like that."

 _Yeah right._ he thought, balling hands into fists.

**Still, she felt responsible for him. Back when they had met, neither of them had known about his half sister, Hazel. At the time, Bianca had been Nico's only living family. When she had died, Nico became a homeless orphan, drifting through the world alone.**

_Why couldn't I have worded that better?_ Annabeth thought with another wince. She tried to send the boy an apologetic look, but Nico refused to even look in her direction. Annabeth's shoulders slumped, the two weren't close, but she hoped this didn't effect their relationship.

 _When is this chapter going to be over?_ Nico thought, biting his lip.

Will gave him a concerned glance.

Hades sat stiffly on his throne.

**Annabeth could relate to that. She was so deep in thought, she might have kept walking around the park forever, but Piper grabbed her arm.**

**"There." She pointed across the harbor. A hundred yards out, a shimmering white figure floated on the water.**

The readers perked up at that.

"There's the ghost." Percy said, stating the obvious.

Annabeth pushed back her thoughts and focused on description.

**At first, Annabeth thought it might be a buoy or a small boat reflecting the sunlight, but it was definitely glowing, and it was moving more smoothly than a boat, making a straight line toward them. As it got closer, Annabeth could tell it was the figure of a woman.**

Aphrodite slowly smiled in realization.

**..."That's not a ghost," Hazel said. "No kind of spirit glows that brightly."**

**...As if in a trance, Piper walked across the street toward the edge of the seawall, narrowly avoiding a horse-drawn carriage.**

If possible, the goddess's smile grew wider. _Aw! She must be excited to see me!_

"Woah! What's the rush?" Connor said.

"She probably hears the voice calling her like Reyna did." Lacy said.

Will winced. "That doesn't mean she should forget to look both ways."

**"Piper!" Annabeth called.**

**"We'd better follow her," Hazel said.**

**By the time Annabeth and Hazel caught up to her, the ghostly apparition was only a few yards away.**

**Piper glared at it like the sight offended her.**

_Don't be like that! We haven't seen each other in so long!_ Aphrodite smiled.

 **"It** **_is_ ** **her," she grumbled.**

"Who?" Percy frowned.

"Aphrodite." Annabeth told him, putting the pieces together.

"That's right! Back by popular demand, it's the most helpful goddess on this quest: Aphrodite! Goddess of love!" said immortal beamed and fluttered her eyelashes at the others.

Artemis groaned and rolled her eyes.

"I'm so excited that all the ladies are here! It's about time we have a Girls' Get-Together." the goddess said cheerfully.

Annabeth made a face at that. She wasn't sure how useful this little 'get-together' was going to be.

"Don't forget the reason they're there." Artemis reminded her. Aphrodite waved her hand dismissively.

"I won't."

**Annabeth gasped. The woman was breathtakingly beautiful and strangely familiar. Her face was hard to describe. Her features seemed to shift from those of one glamorous movie star to another...**

Percy couldn't help but think of his former crush on a TV actress.

**Annabeth was instantly jealous.**

"Don't be! You're pretty too." Aphrodite assured her.

With a small smile, Annabeth brushed her hair back. "Thanks."

**She'd always wished she had dark hair.**

Percy blinked in surprise. "Really?" _I can't imagine her anything else but a blonde._

"That was a long time ago. I'm fine with my hair now." Annabeth told him, fighting back a wave of embarrassment. _Gods, the book knew that too?_

**She felt like nobody took her seriously as a blonde...**

Looking up from his origami, Leo stared at her in disbelief.

"You're kidding right? Sometimes it's hard _not_ to take you seriously." he leaned back in his chair. "I remember the first time Piper stole your corn muffin, I was surprised that you just laughed it off."

 _What did you think I was, a robot?_ Annabeth thought rolling her eyes, but instead she said: "Not everyone takes me as seriously as I would like."

She pointedly looked at Clarisse and the Stolls.

Clarisse shrugged indifferently. "You try too hard."

**The woman was dressed like a Southern belle, just as Jason had described. Her gown had a low-cut bodice of pink silk and a three-tiered hoop skirt with white scalloped lace. She wore tall white silk gloves, and held a feathered pink-and-white fan to her chest.**

"I love that dress." Aphrodite happily sighed.

 **...Annabeth realized that her jealousy was irrational. The woman was** **_making_ ** **her feel this way. She'd had this experience before. She recognized this woman, even though her face changed by the second, becoming more and more beautiful.**

" _Aw!_ Thanks!" Aphrodite said brightly.

**"Aphrodite," she said.**

**"Venus?" Hazel asked in amazement.**

Unlike the other gods, Aphrodite's form didn't change.

**"Mom," Piper said, with no enthusiasm.**

**"Girls!" The goddess spread her arms like she wanted a group hug.**

"You can't be serious." Artemis said flatly.

Annabeth made a face.

**The three demigods did not oblige. Hazel backed into a palmetto tree.**

A few people snickered.

Aphrodite pouted. "Really? Not even from Piper?"

"She's probably embarrassed right now." Hestia told her.

" _How?_ I haven't even done anything yet!" the goddess of love said with exasperation.

"Could be because of the group hug." Hermes supplied, speaking up for the first time. He still looked annoyed by something, but it was clear he was trying to get over it. "That only works for certain types of people, others just get weirded out by it."

**"I'm so glad you're here," Aphrodite said. "War is coming. Bloodshed is inevitable. So there's really only one thing to do."**

"Give us the answers we need for our quest?" Annabeth suggested.

**"Uh...and that is?" Annabeth ventured.**

**"Why, have tea and chat, obviously. Come with me!"**

"Might as well take advantage of such a big group." the goddess of love said, perking up.

Her statement was met with blank stares.

Artemis pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"I'm happy that you want to have tea with us," Annabeth began, trying to sound reasonable. "But there really is no time for that. We have to find answers on the Mark of Athena before the Romans find out about the decoy."

"We wouldn't take long." Aphrodite told her. "You three deserve a little break."

 _But not in the middle of a search._ Annabeth wanted to argue, but she knew her fate was sealed. She was having a tea party with the goddess of love.

 _Hooray._ Annabeth deadpanned.

**Aphrodite knew how to do tea.**

Said goddess beamed.

**She led them to the central pavilion in the gardens—a white-pillared gazebo, where a table was set with silverware, china cups, and of course a steaming pot of tea, the fragrance shifting as easily as Aphrodite's appearance—sometimes cinnamon, or jasmine, or mint. There were plates of scones, cookies, and muffins, fresh butter and jam—all of which, Annabeth figured, were incredibly fattening; unless, of course, you were the immortal goddess of love.**

"I wouldn't eat all of that, they're mainly for you." Aphrodite said dismissively. "You can even take some back for the boys."

**...[Aphrodite] She poured tea and served cakes without getting a speck on her clothes, her posture always perfect, her smile dazzling.**

**Annabeth hated her more and more the longer they sat.**

Aphrodite frowned, but didn't look surprised.

"Jealously tends to do that." she simply said with a shrug. The goddess wanted to, but she restrained herself from giving a knowing glance at the son of Hades.

Almost as if he read her thoughts, Nico slumped lower into his seat.

Annabeth scowled at her words, but chose to drop it.

**"Oh, my sweet girls," the goddess said. "I do love Charleston! The weddings I've attended in this gazebo—they bring tears to my eyes. And the elegant balls in the days of the Old South. Ah, they were lovely. Many of these mansions still have statues of me in their gardens, though they called me Venus."**

"Just hearing this chapter makes me want to go now." _Maybe I can sneak away during another break..._ the goddess mused to herself with a small smirk.

**"Which are you?" Annabeth asked. "Venus or Aphrodite?"**

**"Annabeth Chase, you've grown into quite a beautiful young lady. You really should do something with your hair, though.**

Annabeth glared at the book. _Again with my hair._

"There is so many hairstyles you can do with it," Aphrodite began instantaneously, waiting for this moment. "A French braid, a bun, a high ponytail, you'd be surprised with how much a hairstyle can change your look."

"With the way people constantly bring up my hair, I'm starting to consider going bald." Annabeth responded in a serious tone. She bit back a smile when she saw the doubletakes and looks of disbelief from the demigods.

" _What?"_ Percy choked out.

"Kidding, only kidding."

**And, Hazel Levesque, your clothes—"**

**"My clothes?" Hazel looked down at her rumpled denim, not self-consciously, but baffled, as if she couldn't imagine what was wrong with them.**

"Nothing's inherently wrong, but it could use a few more finishing touches." Aphrodite said.

"Do you even remember what her outfit looks like?" Artemis grumbled.

**"Mother!" Piper said. "You're embarrassing me."**

"How?" Aphrodite asked in confusion. "It's not like I'm giving bad advice."

"Kids don't usually like it when their parents give their friends fashion advice." Percy pointed out.

"That's because they don't have parents who are fashionable like me." the goddess easily defended.

 **"Well, I don't see why," the goddess said. "Just because** **_you_ ** **don't appreciate my fashion tips, Piper, doesn't mean the others won't. I could do a quick makeover for Annabeth and Hazel, perhaps silk ball gowns like mine—"**

"Thanks but I'll keep the jeans." Annabeth said.

"I dunno, I think you should give it a try." Percy said, pretending to be mulling it over.

She snorted. "Yeah right, and fight monsters in a ballroom gown? I'd probably trip and fall on my face."

 **..."Fine," Aphrodite sighed. "To answer your question, Annabeth, I am** **_both_ ** **Aphrodite and Venus. Unlike many of my fellow Olympians, I changed hardly at all from one age to the other. In fact, I like to think I haven't aged a bit!"...**

**Wonderful, Annabeth thought. Her own mother, the most levelheaded Olympian, was reduced to a raving, vicious scatterbrain in a subway station.**

Athena cringed.

**And of all the gods who might help them, the only ones not affected by the Greek–Roman schism seemed to be Aphrodite, Nemesis, and Dionysus.**

"Not affected?" Dionysus glared at the girl. "Annabella, are you telling me that you can't tell the difference?"

"Yeah, it's obvious they're completely different people." Connor agreed. "Mr. D would _never_ drink a Diet Pepsi."

"He'd sooner die!" Travis added.

The Stoll brothers said it with such conviction, Annabeth wasn't sure if they was joking or not.

**Love, revenge, wine. Very helpful.**

Aphrodite huffed. " _Hey!_ At least I'm here!"

**[Hazel]... "We're not in a war yet, my lady."**

**"Oh, dear Hazel." Aphrodite folded her fan. "Such optimism, yet you have heartrending days ahead of you.**

Nico lifted his head up and frowned.

Hades scowled. "And what do you mean by that?"

Aphrodite shrugged as innocently as she could.

**Of course war is coming. Love and war always go together. They are the peaks of human emotion! Evil and good, beauty and ugliness."**

**..."What do you mean," Hazel asked, "heartrending days?"**

_She's probably means the truth about Abuelito Sammy._ Leo guessed, crumpling the origami into a ball. He bounced it up in down the palm of his hand.

**The goddess laughed as if Hazel were a cute puppy. "Well, Annabeth could give you some idea. I once promised to make her love life interesting. And didn't I?"**

Annabeth and Percy winced.

 _Why did she have to bring that up?_ Percy inwardly groaned.

**Annabeth almost snapped the handle off her teacup. For years, her heart had been torn.**

_Great... As if Nico having a crush on me wasn't awkward enough..._ Annabeth groaned, burying her face in her hands.

Percy stared at his shoes.

 **First there** **was Luke Castellan, her first crush, who had seen her only as a little sister; then he'd turned evil and decided he liked her—right before he died.** Hestia grimaced.

Hermes, Thalia, and the Stolls winced.

 **Next came Percy, who was infuriating but sweet, yet he had seemed to be falling for another girl named Rachel, and then** ** _he_** **almost died, several times. Finally Annabeth had gotten Percy to herself, only to have him vanish for six months and lose his memory.** Hestia sighed sadly.

"Not your typical love story." Aphrodite remarked with a smile.

**"Interesting," Annabeth said, "is a mild way of putting it."**

**"Well, I can't take credit for** **_all_ ** **your troubles," the goddess said.**

"As if that makes it any better." Annabeth grumbled.

**"But I do love twists and turns in a love story. Oh, all of you are such excellent stories—**

Annabeth scowled.

**I mean, girls. You do me proud!"**

**"Mother," Piper said, "is there a reason you're here?"**

_Thank you, we should've been talking about this ages ago._ the daughter of Athena thought impatiently.

 **"Hmm? Oh, you mean besides the tea? I often come here. I love the view, the food, the** **atmosphere—you can just smell the romance and heartbreak in the air, can't you? Centuries of it."**

Annabeth felt her eye twitch. _So you didn't come to tell us something useful?_

She was starting to see why her future self wanted to go to the museum.

**She pointed to a nearby mansion. "Do you see that rooftop balcony? We had a party there the night the American Civil War began. The shelling of Fort Sumter."**

Annabeth groaned. _Not this again!_

As if having similar thoughts, the demigods groaned along with her.

**..."Oh, such a party!" Aphrodite said. "A string quartet, and all the men in their elegant new officers' uniforms. The women's dresses—you should've seen them! I danced with Ares—or was he Mars?**

"Whoever he was, it wasn't me." Hephaestus said, glaring at his wife.

Aphrodite was too caught up in her happy memories to notice.

**I'm afraid I was a little giddy. And the beautiful bursts of light across the harbor, the roar of the cannons giving the men an excuse to put their arms around their frightened sweethearts!"**

**[Annabeth]... "You're talking about the beginning of the bloodiest war in U.S. history. Over six hundred thousand people died—more Americans than in World War One and World War Two combined."**

"I can only imagine what Piper was thinking when she heard that." Annabeth muttered.

 **"And the refreshments!" Aphrodite continued.** A few people rolled their eyes. **"Ah, they were divine. General Beauregard himself made an appearance. He was such a scoundrel. He was on his second wife, then, but you should have seen the way he looked at Lisbeth Cooper—"**

"Can we get back to the point?" Annabeth pleaded.

**"Mother!" Piper tossed her scone to the pigeons.**

**"Yes, sorry," the goddess said. "To make the story short, I'm here to help you, girls. I doubt you'll be seeing Hera much. Your little quest has hardly made her welcome in the throne room. And the other gods are rather indisposed, as you know, torn between their Roman and Greek sides. Some more than others." Aphrodite fixed her gaze on Annabeth. "I suppose you've told your friends about your falling-out with your mother?"**

Annabeth and Athena grimaced.

 _Did she have to bring it up?_ the demigod thought. Crossing her arms, she looked away.

**Heat rose to Annabeth's cheeks. Hazel and Piper looked at her curiously.**

**"Falling-out?" Hazel asked.**

**"An argument," Annabeth said. "It's nothing."**

"I wouldn't call it nothing." Demeter remarked with a snort.

"It was terrible..." Athena said softly. She was looking down at her sandals. _It should've never gone that far._

**"Nothing!" the goddess said. "Well, I don't know about that. Athena was the most Greek of all goddesses. The patron of Athens, after all. When the Romans took over...oh, they adopted Athena after a fashion. She became Minerva, the goddess of crafts and cleverness. But the Romans had other war gods who were more to their taste, more reliably Roman—like Bellona—"**

**"Reyna's mom," Piper muttered.**

**"Yes, indeed," the goddess agreed. "I had a lovely talk with Reyna a while back, right here in the park. And the Romans had Mars, of course. And later, there was Mithras—not even properly Greek or Roman, but the legionnaires were crazy about his cult. I always found him crass and terribly** **_nouveau dieu_ ** **, personally. At any rate, the Romans quite sidelined poor Athena. They took away most of her military importance.**

Athena scowled but said nothing.

 **The Greeks never forgave the Romans for that insult. Neither did** **Athena."**

 _We already know this._ Annabeth thought, tapping her foot. _Can't you tell us something new? Like where the statue could be? What does it do? Anything?_

 **... "The Mark of Athena," [Annabeth] said. "It leads to a statue, doesn't it? It leads to...to** **_the_ ** **statue."**

Annabeth sighed. "I thought that was obvious. Why else would Mother say 'Follow the Mark of Athena'?"

"To be fair, you had a lot on your mind when Athena said this." Percy said.

Annabeth frowned. "I guess..." _Between Percy going missing and the fight, I probably tried not to think too much about the coin._

 **Aphrodite smiled. "You are clever, like your mother. Understand, though, your siblings, the** **children of Athena, have been searching for centuries. None has succeeded in recovering the statue. In the meantime, they've been keeping alive the Greek feud with the Romans. Every civil war...so much bloodshed and heartbreak...has been orchestrated largely by Athena's children."**

Annabeth cringed. She couldn't help but wonder if those people actually wanted to fight the Romans or were they pressured by Athena to start those wars.

Thinking about that made her feel sick. Annabeth quickly pushed that idea in the back of her mind.

 **"That's..." Annabeth wanted to say impossible, but she remembered Athena's bitter words in** **Grand Central Station, the burning hatred in her eyes.**

**"Romantic?" Aphrodite offered. "Yes, I supposed it is."**

"How?" Annabeth said flatly. "No really, _how_ is that romantic?"

"Don't think you want the answer to that." Percy said with a grimace.

**"But..." Annabeth tried to clear the fog from her brain. "The Mark of Athena, how does it work? Is it a series of clues, or a trail set by Athena—"**

" _Finally!_ We should've already asked that. We should've been on the ship right now with the map." Annabeth grumbled. She turned to ask her mother before she stopped herself. Annabeth looked away and focused on the reading.

Seeing this, Athena felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.

 **"Hmm." Aphrodite looked politely bored.** Annabeth scowled. **"I couldn't say. I don't believe Athena created the Mark consciously. If she knew where her statue was, she'd simply tell you where to find it.**

"Great." Annabeth said sarcastically.

**No...I'd guess the Mark is more like a spiritual trail of bread crumbs. It's a connection between the statue and the children of the goddess. The statue wants to be found, you see, but it can only be freed by the most worthy."**

**"Hold on," Piper said. "What** **_statue_ ** **are we talking about?"**

 **The goddess laughed. "Oh, I'm sure Annabeth can fill you in. At any rate, the clue you need is close by: a map of sorts, left by the children of Athena in 1861—a remembrance that will start you on your path, once you reach Rome. But as you said, Annabeth Chase, no one has ever succeeded in** **following the Mark of Athena to its end. There you will face your worst fear—the fear of every child** **of Athena.**

Annabeth's face visibly paled. She squeezed her hands into fists to stop them from trembling.

" _Sssooo_ what? A giant spider?" Connor joked with a snicker. He stopped when the gods exchanged knowing looks. "Wait... That's not actually it, is it?"

"It would make sense..." Annabeth said, finding her voice. She let out a shaky sigh. " _A woven jail,_ the giants' 'talented friend', the fear of every child of Athena... The only person who that could be is.." She shivered. "Arachne."

She said the name softly, as if any louder would summon her.

Percy furrowed his eyebrows. "The one who Athena turned into a spider?"

"Yes." Athena said, her face grim. "She is the one guarding the statue."

"And you want me to fight her _alone?"_ Annabeth asked, she winced when her voice came out shrill in the end.

Athena's expression softened.

"You must, it was foretold in the prophecy." she reminded her daughter. "I know the chances seem slim, but you can do it. You have the knowledge and resourcefulness to overpower Arachne."

Annabeth winced at the mention of the name.

 _If I'm not caught up in her web._ She thought with a shudder, worst case scenarios swarming in her head. Annabeth swallowed thickly, Percy squeezing her hand slowly bringing her back to reality.

 _Right now, let's just focus on the map._ she told herself.

**And even if you survive, how will you use your reward? For war or for peace?"**

_That's obvious. If I'm facing that..._ _ monster _ _to bring back a stupid statue, the Romans and the Greeks better get along._

For a moment, Annabeth couldn't help but resent her mother. All of this, the civil wars, the division, deaths of her siblings, for what? Some statue? _Why_ get mad over this one? _Why_ make her children search for something that could very well lead to their deaths? What did this statue do? What made it so special for her to act like she had in the subway?

"Whatever it does, I hope it's worth it." Annabeth grumbled.

**Annabeth was glad for the tablecloth, because under the table, her legs were trembling.**

Annabeth scowled.

 **"This** **map," she said, "where is it?"**

**"Guys!" Hazel pointed to the sky.**

"Now what?" Annabeth complained.

 **Circling above the palmetto trees were two large eagles. Higher up, descending rapidly, was a** **flying chariot pulled by pegasi. Apparently Leo's diversion with Buford the end table hadn't worked—at least not for long.**

The readers tensed.

"Seriously?" Percy groaned.

"And you wasted a whole day too." Will sighed. _I knew they should've done it all the day before._

"The eagles were smarter than I thought." Leo said. He tossed his paper ball from hand to hand. "Maybe I should've added more in there than just clothes? Like some bacon or chicken nuggets?"

"Isn't that kinda wrong to be feeding a bird another bird?" Travis couldn't help but ask.

"I don't think so..." Leo frowned. "I mean, Chicken hawks eat chicken, right?"

"Now's not the time for this!" Annabeth snapped at the boys.

**Aphrodite spread butter on a muffin as if she had all the time in the world.**

_Of course not._ Annabeth thought. _Since she's trying to be helpful, is she going to teleport us to the map's location or..._

 **"Oh, the map is at Fort Sumter, of course." She pointed her butter knife toward the island across the harbor. "It looks** **like the Romans have arrived to cut you off. I'd get back to your ship in a hurry if I were you.**

 _... Make us walk. Thanks Aphrodite. It's sad you're the most helpful Olympian we've had so far._ Annabeth bitterly thought, trying to control her temper.

**Would you care for some tea cakes to go?"**

"I'll eat something on the ship." Annabeth said flatly. " _If_ we make it."

Percy winced at the thought.

"Finished." Hestia said, anxious to know what happens next, she hurriedly passed the book to the person closest next to her: Hades.

Hades' mouth curled in distaste at the thought of reading, but he took the book from his sister's hands.

" **Annabeth XIX** ,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The original didn't have the Valdezinator part. The way I had Leo get the Curse of Delos was okay, but it was very convoluted and didn't follow the BoO's way of getting it. I hope if anyone had a chance to see the original, they liked this one better.


	19. Annabeth XIX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for your patience. April is my last month of school so as you can imagine, things were very hectic with finals and essays so I didn't have time to write any new chapters. Speaking of chapters, hope you enjoy this one. :)

" **Annabeth XIX** ," Hades read.

The other readers sat on the edge of their seats.

Percy held his breath.

Athena's posture was rigid.

**THEY DIDN'T MAKE IT TO THE SHIP.**

Percy cursed under his breath.

"Of course we didn't." Annabeth groaned, shoulders slumping. She blew a lock of hair out of her face.

"Now what?" Katie grimaced. "You can't fight them, they'll think you're starting a war."

"They already think we're at war." Annabeth reminded with a sigh. "But you're right, we shouldn't fight them. Maybe we can cause a distraction or find someplace to hide.."

"I wouldn't be too hopeful." Demeter said with a grimace similar to her daughter's.

**Halfway across the dock, three giant eagles descended in front of them. Each deposited a Roman commando in purple and denim with glittering gold armor, sword, and shield. The eagles flew away, and the Roman in the middle, who was scrawnier than the others, raised his visor.**

Apollo squeezed his eyes shut and crossed his fingers. _Please don't let it be Octavain. Please don't let it be Octavain. Please don't let it be Octavain._

**"Surrender to Rome!" Octavian shrieked.**

_Damnit!_ Apollo cursed. He put his head in his hands and groaned.

The demigods scowled.

"As if this couldn't get any worse." Annabeth said, crossing her arms.

"You can outsmart him." Percy suggested. "Maybe Piper can charmspeak him to leave?"

"That wouldn't be hard." Clarisse snorted.

**...Annabeth cursed under her breath. By himself, the skinny augur wouldn't have bothered her, but the two other guys looked like seasoned warriors—a lot bigger and stronger than Annabeth wanted to deal with, especially since Piper and she were armed only with daggers.**

"Run?" Chris suggested.

"If they did that where would they go? They'd just end up getting chased." Mitchell said.

"The best thing we can do is wait for help or come up with a plan." Annabeth added.

Leo tied his shoelace.

**Piper raised her hands in a placating gesture. "Octavian, what happened at camp was a setup. We can explain."**

**"Can't hear you!" Octavian yelled. "Wax in our ears—standard procedure when battling evil sirens.**

"Why couldn't it be easy?" Annabeth groaned.

"You must think you're so smart..." Apollo grumbled, rolling his eyes. He wished he could be playing his new Valdezinator right now. 

**Now, throw down your weapons and turn around slowly so I can bind your hands."**

"Yeah right." Annabeth scowled, glaring at the book.

**"Let me skewer him," Hazel muttered. "Please."**

"Do it." Apollo nearly begged.

"She can't with the two soldiers protecting him." Artemis reminded, looking just as unhappy as he was with that.

**The ship was only fifty feet away, but Annabeth saw no sign of Coach Hedge on deck.**

"Probably watching TV." Percy said with a heavy sigh. _Com'on Coach. Out of all the times to be below deck..._

"It's probably a good thing. Who knows what he'd do if he was there." Annabeth said, wincing. She could imagine him firing the ballistae yelling 'Die!' at the Romans.

**...Jason's group wasn't due back until sunset, and Percy would be underwater, unaware of the invasion.**

"Of course." Percy rolled his eyes. _First the fish tank, now this. The Mark of Athena really shows how useful I really am._

Annabeth didn't look annoyed like her boyfriend, in fact, her eyes lit up with an idea. _If I can just find a way to get Percy to know what's happening..._

**If Annabeth could get on board, she could use the ballistae; but there was no way to get around these three Romans.**

Percy grumbled under his breath: "I'm literally right there, when am I going to poke my head out of the water or something?"

He sighed loudly. _Whatever I'm doing down there better be important._

**She was running out of time. The eagles circled overhead, crying out as if to alert their brethren: _Hey, some tasty Greek demigods over here!_  **

Athena and Percy winced.

The readers stiffened.

**Annabeth couldn't see the flying chariot anymore, but she assumed it was close by. She had to figure out something before more Romans arrived.**

**She needed help...some kind of distress signal to Coach Hedge, or even better—Percy.**

"But how? Even if you yell I won't be able to hear you?" Percy frowned.

"I just need to do something, maybe if I throw something in the water? Something that'll make you know we're in trouble..." Annabeth trailed off, still working out the kinks in her plan. Even if she did that, Octavian would see her throwing something as a threat. What if he attacked her and her friends before Percy could come out? 

_Maybe Hazel and Piper could distract them and I'll throw something in the lake? But what would I even throw?_ _My dagger? No... That would just leave me unprotected..._ Annabeth played with the ring on her necklace as Hades continued reading.

**"Well?" Octavian demanded. His two friends brandished their swords.**

Percy gritted his teeth.

**Very slowly, using only two fingers, Annabeth drew her dagger.** **Instead of dropping it, she tossed it as far as she could into the water.**

The demigods blinked in surprise, even Annabeth looked taken aback by the abruptness of it all.

_Future Me didn't even try to be discrete about it..._ The daughter of Athena thought, still registering what happened. She thought back to her earlier reaction and compared it to Future Annabeth's. When had she become so... impulsive?

Percy laughed. "That's one way to get my attention!"

"It's still risky, there's no telling how Octavian will react." she responded, slowly grinning despite her words.

"I can only imagine the look on Octavian's face..." Leo snickered. Throwing his hands in his pockets, Leo rocked his chair back.

**Octavian made a squeaking sound. "What was that for? I didn't say _toss_ it! That could've been evidence. Or spoils of war!"**

The others laughed except for Annabeth who turned to the book in disbelief.

"He honestly doesn't believe I did that by _accident_ , does he?" she said. "He has to know this is some kind of trick! He can't honestly believe I'm that dumb."

**Annabeth tried for a dumb-blonde smile, like: Oh, silly me.**

Knowing _exactly_ what that expression looked like, Annabeth cringed.

A couple people snorted.

"Keyword: _tried._ " Clarisse stressed. "You look more constipated than anything."

"Sorry, I don't make it a habit of perfecting my 'dumb-blonde' smile." Annabeth replied stiffly. "I'd like to avoid using it if I can."  

**Nobody who knew her would have been fooled. But Octavian seemed to buy it. He huffed in exasperation.**

"I can't believe he fell for it..." Annabeth said with exasperation of her own. "It wasn't even hard to fool him."

"But isn't that a good thing? Don't you want Octavian to think you're being dumb so he won't realize your plan?" Percy reminded.

She hesitated. "Well... _yes_ , but I've told him I'm the daughter of Athena. He has to see that as some sort of threat." Annabeth scowled. "I guess he really didn't believe I was telling him the  truth."

"Or he underestimates my children." Athena added with a scowl of her own.

**"You other two..." He pointed his blade at Hazel and Piper. "Put your weapons on the dock.**

"I like how he has to clarify now." Chris remarked with a chuckle.

"Bet if _they_ threw their weapons in the water, he'd think it's some kind of trap." Annabeth muttered under her breath. _He actually believes I'm a dumb blonde! Isn't he blond too?_

**No funny bus—"**

**All around the Romans, Charleston Harbor erupted like a Las Vegas fountain putting on a show.**

"Here comes Percy with his dramatic entrance!" Connor said cheerfully.

_Finally!_ Said boy thought with a silent sigh of relief. 

**When the wall of seawater subsided, the three Romans were in the bay, spluttering and frantically trying to stay afloat in their armor. Percy stood on the dock, holding Annabeth's dagger.**

Despite her annoyance, Annabeth gave Percy a small smile.

"Thanks."

"Anytime, Wise Girl." he said back with a lopsided smile. After hearing what Octavian thought of her, that silly nickname made Annabeth's expression soften. Her smile grew a little wider.

**"You dropped this," he said, totally poker-faced.**

The Stolls and Leo burst out laughing.

"If this book ever becomes a movie, I want this to be in the trailer!" Travis exclaimed. That got Leo to stop in mid-laughter. He, Percy, and Annabeth grimaced.

"That'd be epic!" Connor readily agreed. "He would throw on a pair of sunglasses and everything!"

"The books are already pushing it, I don't think I can handle these being made into movie." Leo said with a shudder. "Or worse, a movie series..."

Percy winced. 

"Don't say that, you might give her ideas." the son of Poseidon glanced nervously up at the ceiling.

**Annabeth threw her arms around him. "I love you!"**

The Aphrodite Cabin squealed.

"Aww!" the goddess of love cooed.

Percy and Annabeth turned red.

The daughter of Athena refused to meet Percy's eyes. "Sorry, that was weird."

"It's fine." he squeaked in response. He managed a grin. "It's not like I wasn't talking about having a family with you a few chapters ago."

Annabeth bit back a smile and snorted.

**"Guys," [Hazel]... "We need to hurry."** **  
**

**Down in the water, Octavian yelled, "Get me out of here! I'll kill you!"**

"Well when you put it like that..." Percy rolled his eyes, his ears still pink.

"What? No please?" Thalia scoffed.

**"Tempting," Percy called down.**

The demigods snickered.

**"What?" Octavian shouted...**

"Just forget it." Percy said dismissively.

"Aw man, I wish he heard that." Leo snickered, swinging his legs back and forth.

**"Nothing!" Percy shouted back. "Let's go, guys."**

Hestia frowned. "But you can't just leave them like that, their amour is already weighing them down. They might drown."

**..."They won't," Percy promised. "I've got the water circulating around their feet. As soon as we're out of range, I'll spit them ashore."**

The goddess relaxed hearing that.

**Piper grinned. "Nice."**

**They climbed aboard the _Argo II_ , and Annabeth ran to the helm. "Piper, get below. Use the sink in the galley for an Iris-message. Warn Jason to get back here!"**

**Piper nodded and raced off.**

**"Hazel, go find Coach Hedge and tell him to get his furry hindquarters on deck!"**

**"Right!"**

"Wouldn't it be better if he's below deck watching TV?" Grover said.

"Maybe, but I'd rather him be somewhere I can keep an eye on him." Annabeth replied.

"You guys act like he's a kid, Coach can help defend the ship." Clarisse reminded.

"Just make sure you tell him not to kill anyone." Dionysus said off-handedly.

**"And Percy—you and I need to get this ship to Fort Sumter."**

**Percy nodded and ran to the mast. Annabeth took the helm. Her hands flew across the controls.**

**She'd just have to hope she knew enough to operate them.**

"You got this. There's seven different ways you can start the engine." Leo told her.

"Wait, _seven?" Should there really be that many? Wouldn't it be confusing?_ Annabeth frowned.

**...The sails unfurled and caught the wind. Meanwhile Annabeth fired the engine. The oars extended with a sound like machine-gun fire, and the _Argo II_ turned from the dock, heading for the island in the distance.**

**The three eagles still circled overhead, but they made no attempt to land on the ship, probably because Festus the figurehead blew fire whenever they got close.**

"Nice." Jake grinned.

"This really is a team effort, they even have Festus doing his part." Nyssa remarked.

"Speaking of the team, where are you guys?" Katie asked Leo.

The son of Hephaestus winced as if remembering something unpleasant. 

"We're coming." was all he said. Leo brushed off imaginary dirt from his jacket.

**More eagles were flying in formation toward Fort Sumter—at least a dozen. If each of them carried a Roman demigod...that was a lot of enemies.**

**Coach Hedge came pounding up the stairs with Hazel at his hooves.**

**"Where are they?" he demanded. "Who do I kill?"**

"No one!" Annabeth groaned.

Grover pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

**"No killing!" Annabeth ordered. "Just defend the ship!"**

**"But they interrupted a Chuck Norris movie!"**

_Maybe we should've left him below deck._ Annabeth thought another groan.

**Piper emerged from below. "Got a message through to Jason. Kind of fuzzy, but he's already on his way. He should be—oh! There!"**

**Soaring over the city, heading in their direction, was a giant bald eagle, unlike the golden Roman birds.**

**"Frank!" Hazel said.**

"But where's Leo and Jason?" Chris noticed.

**Leo was holding on to the eagle's feet, and even from the ship, Annabeth could hear him  
screaming and cursing.**

"Whelp, that's one mystery solved." Chris sighed as Apollo and the Stolls burst out laughing.

"Did we miss something? What happened to you?" Travis asked in between his laughter.

"I was surprised that Frank grabbed me. One minute we were all running from the Romans, next thing I knew, Jason and Frank were gone and some giant eagle snatches me off the ground. I thought it was the  Roman's, I didn't even know it was Frank until Jason told me." Leo explained, making a face at the memory. " _¡Dios!_ Nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Can Frank carry Leo back to the ship in his eagle form?" Lacy couldn't help but wonder.

"I guess there's only one way to find out." Mitchell said. 

Hephaestus winced.

**Behind them flew Jason, riding the wind.**

**"Never seen Jason fly before," Percy grumbled. "He looks like a blond Superman."**

**"This isn't the time!" Piper scolded him. "Look, they're in trouble!"**

The readers tensed.

**Sure enough, the Roman flying chariot had descended from a cloud and was diving straight toward them.**

"Can you try to get to them before the chariot?" Lacy squeaked.

Annabeth glared at the book. "Can't, the ship won't make it. Even if we fire at them, they'd be too close to the boys for us to risk it.

**Jason and Frank veered out of the way, pulling up to avoid getting trampled by the pegasi. The charioteers fired their bows. Arrows whistled under Leo's feet, which led to more screaming and cursing.**

Despite the situation, Connor and Travis snickered.

"At this point, I just wanted this day to be over." Leo said. _I swear, everyone was out to kill me for the street cred._

**Jason and Frank were forced to overshoot the Argo II and fly toward Fort Sumter.**

**"I'll get 'em!" yelled Coach Hedge.**

The readers' eyes widened.

" _No!"_ a few of them shouted.

"Don't do it, don't do it you crazy goat..." Clarisse muttered under her breath.

**He spun the port ballista.**

"Don't be stupid!" Annabeth pleaded.

**... Hedge fired. A flaming spear rocketed toward the chariot.**

"Is he _insane?!"_ Thalia hissed. "He's going to hit them!"

**It exploded over the heads of the pegasi and threw them into a panic. Unfortunately it also singed Frank's wings and sent him spiraling out of control. Leo slipped from his grasp.**

Hephaestus tightly gripped the armrests of his throne. Nyssa and Jake paled.

_That's why he dropped me..._ Leo realized with a guilty cringe. He couldn't help but feel relieved he hadn't confronted Frank on his suspicions.

**The chariot shot toward Fort Sumter, slamming into Jason.**

Thalia winced.

**Annabeth watched in horror as Jason—obviously dazed and in pain—lunged for Leo, caught him, then struggled to gain altitude. He only managed to slow their fall. They disappeared behind the ramparts of the fort. Frank tumbled after them. Then the chariot dropped somewhere inside and hit with a bone-shattering _CRACK!_ One broken wheel spun into the air.**

The readers grimaced.

"We were fine," Leo tried to assure but it had little effect on the others.

" _Gods,_ all that from one spear..." Percy brushed his hair back.

"We should've left him downstairs..." Annabeth muttered under her breath. "Why did I think it was a good idea to have him defending the ship?"

**...."What?" Hedge demanded. "That was just a warning shot!"**

"Somebody move him before I throw him over board." Annabeth said darkly. _So much for avoiding a fight._

**Annabeth gunned the engines. The hull shuddered as they picked up speed. The docks of the island were only a hundred yards away now, but a dozen more eagles were soaring overhead, each carrying a Roman demigod in its claws.**

"Great, I just hope they didn't see what happened to their friend." Nico said.

"Do you think that chariot driver is okay?" Hestia couldn't help but worriedly ask. 

"Yup, she was fine enough to try to chase me." Leo remembered.

**The _Argo II's_ crew would be outnumbered at least three to one.**

"After all that effort to avoid them..." Percy grumbled. "We're outnumbered and we _still_ haven't found the map."

"Don't remind me." Annabeth replied, clenching her hands into fists. "This is turning into a disaster."

**"Percy," Annabeth said, "we're going to come in hard. I need you to control the water so we don't smash into the docks. Once we're there, you're going to have to hold off the attackers. The rest of you help him guard the ship."**

**"But—Jason!" Piper said.**

**"Frank and Leo!" Hazel added.**

**"I'll find them," Annabeth promised.**

Percy frowned. "By yourself?"

"Pretty sure I have to do it by myself." Annabeth realized. "'Wisdom's daughter walks alone', finding the map by myself must be part of that." _I wish I thought of this sooner._

The son of Poseidon didn't look to happy about this, but he didn't comment. 

**"I've got to figure out where the map is. And I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who can do that."**

**"The fort is crawling with Romans," Percy warned. "You'll have to fight your way through, find our friends—assuming they're okay—find this map, and get everybody back alive. All on your own?"**

**"Just an average day." Annabeth kissed him.**

"You mean the fighting the odds? Or the risking our lives?" Percy asked.

"Both." Annabeth answered.

"There're interchangeable at this point." Leo pointed out.

**"Whatever you do, don't let them take this ship!"**

"That's the end of the chapter." Hades said, relieved his turn was finally over. He eagerly handed off the book to Hera.

The goddess took one look at the name of the new chapter, sneered and gave the book to her husband.

Zeus rolled his eyes at Hera's actions but began the chapter.

" **Annabeth XX** ,"

Realizing the reason for Hera's reaction, Annabeth glared at the goddess.


	20. Annabeth XX

" **Annabeth XX** ," Zeus read.

**THE NEW CIVIL WAR HAD BEGUN.**

A few people shuddered.

" _Geez,_ 'They didn't make it to the ship', 'The New Civil War had begun', you really like to start your chapters on a positive note, don't you Annabeth." Travis tried to joke.

Annabeth couldn't help but roll her eyes. "It's not like I chose to start off on this." _If I had a choice, we wouldn't be reading this at all._

**Leo had somehow escaped his fall unharmed.**

Hephaestus let out a sigh of relief.

" _See?_ I told you." Leo said, playing with his jacket buttons. "At this point, I'm an expert in falling. I know all the best places to crash into to break your fall: Abandoned warehouses, private mansion property, fruit stands, dining tables," his eyes widened at the sudden slip, Leo hastily added: "Ya' know, the usual stuff."

"I'm surprised Jason's the only one with concussions." Will stated, frowning at his list. _How has he not broken_ _anything_ _yet?_

Leo's posture relaxed. He grinned. "What can I say? I'm built to survive the Apocalypse!"

He thumped his fist against his chest to emphasize the point. 

_Please tell me he's joking._ Will deadpanned.

**Annabeth saw him ducking from portico to portico, blasting fire at the giant eagles swooping down on him. Roman demigods tried to chase him, tripping over piles of cannonballs and dodging tourists, who screamed and ran in circles.**

"And angry mobs." the son of Hephaestus added.

"They're really chasing after you." Jake noted worriedly.

"Yeah, I tend to have that effect on people." Leo joked. "That and someone must've told them I was the one who fired on New Rome."

" _Fates._ " Hephaestus muttered under his breath.The god pinched out flames on his beard.

**...In the middle of the courtyard, a full-grown elephant—could that be Frank?—rampaged around the flagpoles,** **scattering Roman warriors.**

"I'm glad he's on our side." Chris said. "Can you imagine him doing that to _us?"_

"I don't even want to think about it." Katie shivered.

**Jason stood about fifty yards away, sword-fighting with a** **stocky centurion whose lips were stained cherry red, like blood. A wannabe vampire, or maybe a Kool-Aid freak?**

"Why not both?" Connor shrugged.

Dionysus winced at the description. His form flickering.

**As Annabeth watched, Jason yelled, "Sorry about this, Dakota!"**

Thalia perked up. _Dakota._ She remembered that name. Wasn't that someone who Jason remembered from his past?

_I wonder if they're friends..._ She thought back to Reyna and frowned. _Still_ _friends._

The huntress sighed.

**He vaulted straight over the centurion's head like an acrobat and slammed the hilt of his** **_gladius_ ** **into the back of the Roman's head. Dakota crumpled.**

_Maybe not after that._ Thalia winced. She couldn't help but wonder what was Jason thinking as he fought a former ally. Did they talk before Annabeth came? Were they close? How much did Jason remember of this guy?

**"Jason!" Annabeth called.**

**He scanned the battlefield until he saw her.**

**She pointed to where the Argo II was docked. "Get the others aboard! Retreat!"**

**"What about you?" he called.**

**"Don't wait for me!"**

"They can't even be your backup!" Percy protested.

"It'd be more of a hassle than a help, there would be too many of us in a group for them to lose track of." Annabeth pointed out. "Besides, "Wisdom's daughter', remember?"

"I remember, I remember." he sighed. "I was just hoping that meant 'Wisdom's daughter walks alone with her friends and boyfriend standing guard at the doorway'."

**Annabeth bolted off before he could protest.**

**...Annabeth dodged into a small room that must have been part of the garrison. She tried to steady her breathing. She imagined what it would have been like to be a Union soldier on this island in 1861.** **Surrounded by enemies. Dwindling food and supplies, no reinforcements coming.**

**Some of the Union defenders had been children of Athena. They'd hidden an important map here—something they didn't want falling into enemy hands. If Annabeth had been one of those demigods, where would she have put it?**

"There must be some kind of secret compartment. Maybe there's a switch somewhere or a code." Annabeth said, more to herself than anyone else.

**Suddenly the walls glistened. The air became warm. Annabeth wondered if she was hallucinating. She was about to run for the exit when the door slammed shut.**

The readers stiffened.

"What's happening?" Percy cried in alarm.

"I don't know. I could've sprung a trap." Annabeth said, trying to remain calm. Her heart was racing in anticipation. She wanted to think of escape plans but then again, maybe she triggered a way that leads to the map.

**The mortar between the stones blistered. The bubbles popped, and thousands of tiny black spiders swelled forth.**

Annabeth gasped sharply. Her posture went rigid, as she stared at the book in wide-eyed horror.

_Get a grip, they're not actually here._ Despite her rational thought, Annabeth's face went pale and she could hear her hearting beating so loudly, she wouldn't be surprised that the others heard it as well.

Percy took her trembling hand and squeezed it.

" _Why-"_ Annabeth winced when her voice came out as a squeak. She took a deep breath and tried again. "Why would they set up something like this?"

"To hint the chosen follower on who they will be facing." Athena said. "This is the chance to turn back."

_As if I have a choice!_ Annabeth wanted to yell, instead she took a deep breath and shakily let it out. _Remember why you're doing this._

She clenched her free hand into a fist as Zeus kept reading.

**Annabeth couldn't move. Her heart seemed to have stopped. The spiders blanketed the walls, crawling over one another, spreading across the floor and gradually surrounding her.**

Annabeth shuddered, she squeezed her eyes shut.

Percy rubbed soothing circles in her hand.

**It was impossible. This couldn't be** **_real._ **

_The_ _y're_ _probably just holograms or hallucinations from the heat._ Annabeth readily thought.

**Terror plunged her into memories. She was seven years old again, alone in her bedroom in Richmond, Virginia.**

Annabeth stiffened, her eyes snapped open.

_Please don't tell me this is going to go how I think it's going to go._

As if reading her thoughts, Leo shot her an apologetic glance.

Annabeth looked away from the teen in favor of glaring at the ceiling.

She didn't think she could ever despise a goddess as much as Hera, but Nemesis was proving her otherwise.

_As if reading my thoughts wasn't enough._ Annabeth scowled. 

**The spiders came at night. They crawled in waves from her closet and waited in** **the shadows.**

Annabeth shuddered.

**She yelled for her father, but her father was away for work. He** ** _always_** **seemed to be away** **for work.**

Athena suppressed the urge to sigh. Instead, she bit her lip and crossed her arms.

_She wouldn't even let me call him._ Annabeth thought, gritting her teeth. _Even just speaking to him on the phone would've helped me calm down. She's_ -

Annabeth stopped herself before she could continue.

_It's not like that anymore, things are getting better._ she told herself. Granted, things are getting better very very _slowly_ but after the last attempts, Annabeth can at least be polite around her stepmother and brothers.

**Her stepmother came instead.**

**_I don't mind being the bad cop,_ she had once told Annabeth's father, when she didn't think Annabeth could hear.**

Annabeth couldn't help but roll her eyes and scoff. 

_Big mistake._ Athena silently thought. As much as Annabeth seemed certain that Mrs. Chase hated her, Athena knew the opposite was true. Her stepmother _did_ care about Annabeth, enough to want her back home the goddess remembered. The problem was that she didn't understand what is was like growing up as a demigod. Neither did Fredrick.

_And me._ Athena added with a grimace, recalling her and Annabeth's fight. 

**_It's only your imagination,_ her stepmother said about the spiders. _You're scaring your baby brothers._**

**_They're not my brothers,_ Annabeth argued...**

Wincing, Annabeth felt a pang of regret saying that. Sure her and her stepmother were not on the best terms, but she didn't need to say that about Matthew and Bobby. If they had said that about her, she would have been furious (and hurt although she wouldn't admit that to herself). 

**_Go to sleep now,_ her stepmother insisted. _No more screaming._**

"Easy for you to say..." Annabeth grumbled.

**The spiders came back as soon as her stepmother had left the room. Annabeth tried to hide under the covers, but it was no good. Eventually she fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. She woke up in the morning, freckled with bites, cobwebs covering her eyes, her mouth, and nose.**

Hera didn't bother to hide her smug smirk. _Maybe I should've read this chapter._

" _Gods,"_ Percy said, breaking the silence. "Did you show your stepmom?"

Annabeth let go of his hand and crossed her arms. "I _tried_ to, but she still didn't believe me."

**The bites faded before she even got dressed, so she had nothing to show her stepmother except cobwebs, which her stepmother thought was some sort of clever trick.**

"Don't know how I would be able to do that, but whatever." Annabeth muttered under her breath.

**_No more talk of spiders,_ her stepmother said firmly. _You're a big girl now._**

"It was so demeaning. She acted like I was scared of something silly." Annabeth couldn't help but say.

"Maybe she didn't know about the history behind children of Athena and spiders? Did your dad tell her?" Percy asked.

Annabeth blinked at the question as if it never occurred to her, before shaking her head.

"I don't think so, I doubt he knew about that. I didn't know until I went to Camp." she said. Annabeth thoughtfully frowned. _Maybe she was acting like that because she didn't understand?_

She immediately brushed that thought aside. _Even then, she should've thought something was wrong when I showed her the cobwebs._

**The second night, the spiders came again. Her stepmother continued to be the bad cop. Annabeth wasn't allowed to call her father and bother him with this nonsense. No, he would _not_ come home early.**

_He never did._ Annabeth thought angrily. She squeezed her college ring. She tried to push back that anger by thinking back to the time her dad came to rescue her.

The third night, Annabeth ran away from home.

**Later, at Camp Half-Blood, she learned that all children of Athena feared spiders. Long ago, Athena had taught the mortal weaver Arachne a hard lesson—cursing her for her pride by turning her into the first spider.** **Ever since, spiders had hated the children of Athena.**

 Annabeth squeezed her ring tighter.

**But that didn't make her fear easier to deal with. Once, she'd almost killed Connor Stoll at camp for putting a tarantula in her bunk.**

"I _told_ you she tried to kill me." Connor stage whispered to Leo.

"And you deserved it." Annabeth replied, unsympathetic.

**Years later, she'd had a panic attack at a water park in Denver, when Percy and she were assaulted by mechanical spiders.**

"Sorry about that," Hephaestus said, not looking up for the machine in his hands. "That wasn't meant for you."

Ares and Aphrodite glared at the god.

"Trust me, we know." the goddess of love said shortly.

**And the past few weeks, Annabeth had dreamed of spiders almost every night—crawling over her, suffocating her, wrapping her in webs.**

Annabeth shuddered. 

**Now, standing in the barracks at Fort Sumter, she was surrounded. Her nightmares had come true.**

A shiver ran up Annabeth's spine.

**A sleepy voice murmured in her head: _Soon, my dear. You will meet the weaver soon._**

Everyone stiffened.

"Are you kidding me?" Annabeth gasped. _And I still haven't found that stupid map!_

Percy cursed. "I knew you shouldn't have gone alone."

**"Gaea?" Annabeth murmured. She feared the answer, but she asked: "Who—who is the weaver?"**

"Do we really need to say her name?" Annabeth argued, body tense. Her hand gripped her necklace so hard, she could feel the chain imprint into her skin.

**The spiders became excited, swarming over the walls, swirling around Annabeth's feet like a glistening black whirlpool...**

Annabeth shuddered, she resisted the urge to gag.

**_I hope you survive, child,_ the woman's voice said. _I would prefer you as my sacrifice. But we must let the weaver take her revenge..._**

Annabeth thickly swallowed. She took a deep breath and shakily exhaled.

**Gaea's voice faded. On the far wall, in the center of the spider swarm, a red symbol blazed to life: the figure of an owl like the one on the silver drachma, staring straight at Annabeth.**

_Oh thank the gods! What took you so long to show up!_ Annabeth's posture relaxed.

**Then, just as in her nightmares, the Mark of Athena burned across the walls, incinerating the spiders until the room was empty except for the smell of sickly sweet ashes.**

Annabeth's shoulders slumped in relief.

**_Go,_ said a new voice—Annabeth's mother. _Avenge me. Follow the Mark._**

**The blazing symbol of the owl faded. The garrison door burst open. Annabeth stood stunned in the middle of the room, unsure whether she'd seen something real, or just a vision.**

_Just go, anywhere is better than here,_ she urged herself.

**An explosion shook the building. Annabeth remembered that her friends were in danger. She'd stayed here much too long.**

**...she stumbled outside...She gazed across the courtyard—past the panicked tourists and fighting demigods—to the edge of the battlements, where a large mortar pointed out to sea.**

A sudden thought occurred to Annabeth.

_Please don't let the map be in the mortar,_ she silently pleaded. _Please don't tell me that I missed the most obvious place to look._

**It might have been Annabeth's imagination, but the old artillery piece seemed to be glowing red.**

_Yup._ Annabeth inwardly groaned, she brushed back strands of hair out of her face.

**She dashed toward it. An eagle swooped at her, but she ducked and kept running. Nothing could possibly scare her as much as those spiders.**

**Roman demigods had formed ranks and were advancing toward the _Argo II_ , but a miniature storm had gathered over their heads. Though the day was clear all around them, thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed above the Romans. Rain and wind pushed them back.**

"Jason." Thalia smiled.

"Or me, I can control storms too." Percy pointed out.

"It was both." Leo said, before the two could argue.

**...She reached the mortar and put her hand on the muzzle. On the plug that blocked the opening, the Mark of Athena began to glow—the red outline of an owl.**

"Can't believe I wouldn't check here first." Annabeth grumbled.

**...She pried at the plug with her fingers. No luck. Cursing, she drew her dagger. As soon as the Celestial bronze touched the plug, the plug shrank and loosened. Annabeth pulled it off and stuck her hand inside the cannon.**

**...She pulled out a small disk of bronze the size of a tea saucer, etched with delicate letters and illustrations.**

Percy curiously frowned.

"Okay, I don't know what I was expecting for the map to look like, but this wasn't it." he remarked. "How are you supposed to read it? Are the directions written around the disk?"

"I'll have to figure it out when I get to the ship." Annabeth said.

**She decided to examine it later. She thrust it in her pack and turned.**

**"Rushing off?" Reyna asked.**

The readers tensed. 

Annabeth swore. " _Damn it,_ I was hoping I wouldn't run into her again."

"Now what? You can't trick her like you did with Octavian." Grover said in between a mouthful of a piece of his chair.

"I can try talking to her, but I doubt she'll listen." the daughter of Athena said, warily eyeing the book.

**The praetor stood ten feet away, in full battle armor, holding a golden javelin. Her two metal greyhounds growled at her side.**

"Great, she brought the mutts too." Clarisse said sarcastically.

"Of course she did." Annabeth sighed.

"You think you can make them go away by playing fetch?" Travis suggested.

"They'll probably attack you for thinking they're that dumb." Katie couldn't help but roll her eyes.

**"Reyna," she said, "what happened at Camp Jupiter was Gaea's fault. Eidolons, possessing** **spirits—"**

**"Save your explanations," Reyna said. "You'll need them for the trial."**

"Would they even listen?" Will said.

"Doubt it, they've already made up their minds. They're just doing it for the sake of formality." Hermes responded.

**The dogs snarled and inched forward. This time, it didn't seem to matter to them that Annabeth** **was telling the truth. She tried to think of an escape plan. She doubted she could take Reyna in one-** **on-one combat. With those metal dogs, she stood no chance at all.**

"Now would be a good time for them to run out of batteries." Travis said.

"Or have a squirrel run by, that'd distract them." Connor suggested.

"I don't think they're those type of dogs." Chris said.

**"If you let Gaea drive our camps apart," Annabeth said, "the giants have already won. They'll destroy the Romans, the Greeks, the gods, the whole mortal world."**

**"Don't you think I know that?" Reyna's voice was as hard as iron. "What choice have you left me? Octavian smells blood. He's whipped the legion into a frenzy, and I can't stop it. Surrender to me. I'll bring you back to New Rome for trial. It won't be fair. You'll be painfully executed.**

The demigods winced.

**But it may be enough to stop further violence.** **Octavian won't be satisfied, of course, but I think I can convince the others to stand down."**

"But it wasn't our fault!" Percy protested. "If you guys would _just listen..._ "

**..."It doesn't _matter!"_ Reyna snapped. "Someone must pay for what happened. Let it be you. It's the better option."**

The readers froze.

"Wh-What's the worst option?" Lacy whimpered.

**[Annabeth]... "Better than what?"**

**"Use that wisdom of yours," Reyna said. "If you escape today, we won't follow. I told you—not even a madman would cross the sea to the ancient lands. If Octavian can't have vengeance on your ship, he'll turn his attention to Camp Half-Blood. The legion will march on your territory. We will raze it and salt the earth."** Zeus's expression darkened. He read the line in a hollow tone.

The room fell into silence.

The gods stiffened, eyes wide in alarm. Their worst fears were coming true. Athena scowled.

_I'd like to see you try._ the goddess thought with a huff.

Percy felt his heart clench. His home-away-from-home being invaded yet again. _And I won't be there to help._

The other demigods exchanged horrified expressions.

_I should have known this was going to happen..._ Annabeth thought grimly. She thought back to how her future self told Reyna Camp Half-Blood's location. _I should have been more vague with where it was. What was I thinking?!_

" _Gods,_ you weren't kidding when you were talking about the new Civil War." Travis muttered with a shudder.

"I just remembered that they have a war elephant." Chris said, his face paling. "Can you imagine the damage they'd do if they bring that to Camp?"

The demigods were starting to panic, before it could grow into hysteria, Leo was quick to assure them.

"Guys! Guys! We can change this!" Leo hastily reminded. "We're already doing so much to stop this from happening. Remember the virtual tour? Casting a spell on the ship to prevent eidolon possession? You already have a better chance with winning over the Romans than we did." he paused, momentarily confused. "Or you did the first time...The point is, with the way things are going now, I don't think this will happen."

 The demigods slightly relaxed after hearing that. They were still anxious about the Romans invading, but it helped a bit knowing they can prevent this.

**...Annabeth wanted to sob. Camp Half-Blood was the only real home she'd ever known, and in a** **bid for friendship, she had told Reyna exactly where to find it. She couldn't leave it at the mercy of the Romans and travel halfway around the world.**

Annabeth lowered her head. Percy gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"It's not your fault," Will said gently. "You didn't know things were going to get this bad. We can handle it."

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Chris said without any enthusiasm.

"But how? The Romans will easily outnumber you." Annabeth said, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"It doesn't matter, because this isn't going to happen." Lacy insisted, visibly shaking. She looked desperate to change the subject.

**But their quest, and everything she'd suffered to get Percy back...if she didn't go to the ancient** **lands, it would all mean nothing. Besides, the Mark of Athena didn't have to lead to revenge.**

"As long as we get the warning, we can manage." Clarisse said, but she kept her eyes fixed on her hands.

"I wish that we aren't leaving you guys to deal with this. Even if you can handle it, I feel like there's more we can do..." Percy said, the _'I can do'_ was silent but everyone can hear the undertone.

"You can't be in two places at once. You're already doing a lot with saving the world and fighting the giants, we can deal with the Romans." Mitchell said.

Leo brushed his hair back. "Not sure if this helps, but I sent distractions to slow the Romans down. That should give everyone enough time to prepare."

The demigods sent the boy questioning looks.

"Buford and dirty laundry?" Connor guessed wearily.

"Better!" Leo said cheerfully, trying to uplift the group. He pretended to consider something before adding as an afterthought. "Or worse, depending on who you're asking."

His plan to cheer everyone up didn't seem to work, if anything they just shrugged it off.

"That's good, we're going to need all the time we can get." Katie said, resting her head in her hand.

**..."I'm going," she told Reyna. "I'm following the Mark of Athena to Rome."  
**

**The praetor shook her head. "You have no idea what awaits you."**

"We still have to move forward." Annabeth said, more to herself than anyone else.

**"Yes, I do," Annabeth said. "This grudge between our camps...I can fix it."**

**"Our grudge is thousands of years old. How can one person fix it?"**

"It's not just a one person job, everyone has to do their part to help." Percy said, he gave the gods a meaningful stare.

Said immortals shifted uncomfortably. They _tried_ bringing the Romans and Greeks together, multiple times, but each attempt ended worse than the last. They were at a lost on what more they can do.

Percy scowled at their silence. _We're doing all this to save them, and they can't even come up with one way to help?  It's like they want us to lose._

**..."The quest has to succeed," she said. "You can try to stop me, in which case we'll have to fight to the death. Or you can let me go, and I'll try to save both our camps. If you must march on Camp Half-Blood, at least try to delay. Slow Octavian down."**

"I don't think she'll do that." Katie said sadly.

"It was worth a try." Annabeth said with a helpless shrug. "She hates fighting each other as much as we do."

**Reyna's eyes narrowed. "One daughter of a war goddess to another, I respect your boldness. But if you leave now, you doom your camp to destruction."**

Annabeth winced.

The other demigods tried not to look anxious.

**"Don't underestimate Camp Half-Blood," Annabeth warned.**

**"You've never seen the legion at war," Reyna countered.**

**Over by the docks, a familiar voice shrieked over the wind: "Kill them! Kill them all!"**

**Octavian had survived his swim in the harbor.**

Thalia's shoulders slumped.

" _Oh great_ , he's back." she said dryly. "This chapter keeps getting better and better."

**He crouched behind his guards, screaming encouragement at the other Roman demigods as they struggled toward the ship, holding up their shields as if that would deflect the storm raging all around them.**

**On the deck of the Argo II, Percy and Jason stood together, their swords crossed. Annabeth got a tingle down her spine as she realized the boys were working as one, summoning the sky and the sea to do their bidding. Water and wind churned together. Waves heaved against the ramparts and lightning flashed. Giant eagles were knocked out of the sky. Wreckage of the flying chariot burned in the water, and Coach Hedge swung a mounted crossbow, taking potshots at the Roman birds as they flew overhead.**

"Who let Coach Hedge in charge of the crossbow?" Annabeth couldn't help but say incredulously. _Did we already forget the last time that happened._

"We don't really have a choice." Percy said, not looking happy with the decision either.

**"You see?" Reyna said bitterly. "The spear is thrown. Our people are at war."**

**"Not if I succeed," Annabeth said.**

**Reyna's expression looked the same as it had at Camp Jupiter when she realized Jason had found another girl. The praetor was too alone, too bitter and betrayed to believe anything could go right for her ever again. Annabeth waited for her to attack.**

The readers tensed.

Annabeth squeezed her necklace. _Please Reyna, let me go. Give me a chance..._

**Instead, Reyna flicked her hand. The metal dogs backed away.**

The readers sighed in relief, even Annabeth let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

**"Annabeth Chase," she said, "when we meet again, we will be enemies on the field of battle."**

"I hope you're wrong." Annabeth said, slumping forward in her chair.

**The praetor turned and walked across the ramparts, her greyhounds behind her.**

**Annabeth feared it might be some sort of trick, but she had no time to wonder. She ran for the ship.**

**The winds that battered the Romans didn't seem to affect her.**

**Annabeth sprinted through their lines. Octavian yelled, "Stop her!"**

**A spear flew past her ear.**

Percy winced. With a slight grin, Annabeth bumped her shoulder against his.

"Still here." she reminded.

"I know, it's just so nerve-wracking." Percy replied, wrapping an arm around her.

"You have no idea..." Poseidon deadpanned.

**The Argo II was already pulling away from the dock. Piper was at the gangplank, her hand outstretched.**

**Annabeth leaped and grabbed Piper's hand. The gangplank fell into the sea, and the two girls tumbled onto the deck.**

**"Go!" Annabeth screamed. "Go, go, go!"**

**The engines rumbled beneath her. The oars churned. Jason changed the course of the wind, and Percy called up a massive wave, which lifted the ship higher than the fort's walls and pushed it out to sea. By the time the Argo II reached top speed, Fort Sumter was only a blot in the distance, and they** **were racing across the waves toward the ancient lands.**

"That is the end of the chapter." Zeus said. The others sighed in relief.

"That was a lot." Poseidon remarked, feeling drained. He would've requested for a break if they hadn't had one so recently.

"The Romans invading, the Mark of Athena, _Octavian_ , at this point, I can't believe all this is happening and they're _still_ not in Rome yet." Apollo complained, slumping in his throne.

"Don't remind me." Annabeth groaned, suddenly feeling tired. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

For the first time, nobody jumped into starting the next chapter. They sat in silence, reflecting on what happened and wondering what more disasters the other chapters may have.

Leo worriedly looked around the room at the dejected faces. He never seen them react like this and it scared him how silent the room had become. Everyone was usually making some kind of noise, whispering, sneezing, yelling ( _lots_ of yelling). The total silence was starting to feel suffocating, Leo could feel his hands go clammy the longer they quietly sat still.

" _Well al-righty then!"_ Leo smiled as brightly as possible. He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Who's reading next?"

Nobody gave him a glance.

Leo clapped his hands again.

"Com'on guys! Someone has to read! We have a future to save! Someone volunteer!  _¡Ándale! ¡Ándale! ¡Ándale!"_

"Can we just have a break?" Chris complained.

"We already had a break, com'on let's just get this done!" Leo encouraged. Chris turned his head away from him.

The teen inwardly groaned, but kept up the false cheer.

"Alright, who hasn't read yet? Raise your hand."

Not a single hand went up. 

_Figures,_ Leo rolled his eyes. "Who thinks Leo's awesome? _Don't_ raise your hand."

Besides his father, everyone's hand went up.

"Seriously? Fine, be like that!" Leo huffed. He went over to Zeus's throne and took the book from the god's lax grip.

Flopping down in his chair, Leo impatiently turned the book's pages, muttering 'organic life forms' and ' _Somebody's_ gotta do it' under his breath.

He finally reached the chapter.

" **Leo XXI** ," Leo read. Letting out a sigh, he rolled his eyes. _The things I do for these guys._


	21. Leo XXI

" **Leo XXI** ," Leo began.

Registering what was happening, everyone's heads snapped up in his direction. They watched in disbelief as the boy started reading.

" **AFTER RAIDING A MUSEUM FULL OF Confederate ghosts, Leo didn't think** -"

"What are you doing?" Percy interrupted.

"Reading," Leo stated, not looking up from the page. " **his day could get any worse. He was** -"

"Why?" Will asked, his eyes narrowed in concern.

" **wrong.** No one volunteered, so I decided to." Leo responded, not noticing the exchanged glances and the silent conversation the others were having. " **They hadn't found anything in the Civil War sub or elsewhere in the museum; just a few elderly** **tourists, a dozing security guard, and—when**... when..." He faltered when he felt a hand press itself on his forehead. Leo looked up to find the hand belonging to Connor. The Stoll was frowning thoughtfully.

"He feels kinda hot, but I don't know if it's because I'm cold or if his powers make him have a higher body temperature." he told Will.

The son of Apollo hummed, mulling it over.

"Maybe it's not a fever, maybe he's dehydrated or hungry? He didn't eat anything besides the crackers I gave him..." he recalled.

"You think he's going to faint again?" Nyssa worriedly asked, studying her brother's face for any sign of fatigue.

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" Leo snapped, swatting Connor's hand away. " _Seriously?_ It's not like I haven't read before!"

"You've read unwillingly." Annabeth reminded.

"I would argue that I still am, but I'm doing because we need to keep going if we want to save the future." Leo explained. _Not to mention, my friends are still trapped in an ever-changing time period. I don't want to leave them like that any longer than I have to._

For a brief moment, Leo couldn't help but wonder how they were doing. How were Percy and Annabeth's memories? Were Piper and the others doing okay or were their memories changing too? Oh gods, if everyone's memories were changing does that mean Nico's was too? Would that put him and Reyna in any danger? What if-

_Just focus on one thing at a time._ Leo told himself. He just needed to keep things running smoothly and everything will work out.

With that in mind, he kept reading under the still shocked gazes of the readers.

**they tried to inspect the artifacts—a whole battalion of glowing zombie dudes in gray uniforms.**

_"What?"_ Mitchell exclaimed.

"I'm sorry but what's happening?" Percy asked.

Leo suppressed the urge to sigh, he looked up from the book. "I'm leading up to how we were chased by the Romans."

"Could you... kinda... start over? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." the son of Poseidon said sheepishly.

The others said similar thoughts with apologetic smiles.

_Again?_ Leo inwardly groaned. He drummed his fingers on the book's cover. "Fine."

**AFTER RAIDING A MUSEUM FULL OF Confederate ghosts, Leo didn't think his day could get any worse. He was wrong.** Leo bounced his leg. **They hadn't found anything in the Civil War sub or elsewhere in the museum; just a few elderly tourists, a dozing security guard, and—when they tried to inspect the artifacts—a whole battalion of glowing zombie dudes in gray uniforms.**

"We read this a second time and I'm still confused, where did they come from?" Will asked.

"There's always Confederate ghosts lurking in that museum." Nico reminded. "It shouldn't be a problem for Frank since he can control them."

Leo cringed. " _Yeah,_ you would think that... but..."

**...that pretty much failed.**

Ares rolled his eyes and scowled.

"What? How?" Katie gasped.

"Using the undead isn't easy, they can turn on you the minute you show signs of weakness as a leader." Clarisse scowled, remembering her own early troubles. _Stupid zombies._ "They're so annoying."

"Tell me about it." Nico sighed.

**By the time Piper sent her Iris-message warning them about the Roman attack, they were already halfway back to the ship, having been chased through downtown Charleston by a pack of angry dead Confederates.**

" **Then—oh, boy!** " Leo exclaimed with sarcastic cheer. If he was reading, he might as well make it a little fun. No sense reading it a monotone voice when _he_ was the one narrating the story.

A few people couldn't help but grin.

**Leo got to hitch a ride with Frank the Friendly Eagle so they could fight a** **bunch of Romans.** Said boy grinned.

The Stolls snickered.

Hephaestus blinked. "I thought you hated the eagle ride."

"It's sarcasm, darling." Aphrodite tried to explain, exasperation dripping in her voice.

**Rumor must've gotten around that Leo was the one who had fired on their little city, because those Romans seemed especially anxious to kill him.** Hephaestus couldn't help but be unsettled at the casual way Leo read this. He sounded like he was discussing the weather, not that people were out to kill him.

" **But** ** _wait!_** **There was more!** Leo read in his best salesman pitch. **Coach Hedge shot them out of the sky; Frank dropped him (th** a..." Leo trailed off, the smile on his face wavering as he read the last sentence. His shoulders slumped.

_Yeah, I kinda figured this was going to show up eventually._ he thought, slouching in his chair. _Figures it would show up in the chapter that I'm reading._ ** _Voluntarily._** _Somewhere Nemesis must laughing at me..._ Leo eyed the line with disdain. _Why do I always get the bad chapters?_

He was interrupted from his train of thought when Travis nudged him.

"Dude, you okay?"

Leo nodded. "I'm fine." _Let's just get this over with._

**(that was no accident)**

The readers stared at him in shock besides Ares who snorted.

"I _wish_ it was on purpose." the god grunted. Besides Hephaestus who glared, everyone ignored him.

"You really thought that Frank would do something like that?" Katie gasped.

"Why? You guys had your differences but he wouldn't try to _kill_ you!" Annabeth exclaimed.

Leo rubbed his forehead, suddenly feeling a headache start. Why would he think that? What could possibly make him believe Frank would do something so terrible. He almost wanted to avoid their questions and continue reading as if he never heard them, but if he wanted to be honest with himself and the others. He knew that the reason would have to be:

"I didn't really think he would do something like that... I guess... I was just using it as an excuse not to like him." Leo realized, he felt a sudden burst of shock at his own words (surprised that he would admit it) before it turned into a pang of guilt. Frank may have said things here and there, but he never went out of his way to actually _hurt_ Leo, even when he deserved it. "And it sucks, because there's really no reason why Frank and I shouldn't have gotten along, besides liking Hazel, but we could've talked it out instead of doing all this."

Leo waved at the book and sighed.

"When stuff starts changing in the future, I hope this does too."

He didn't bother to wait for a response, he just kept reading.

**and they crash-landed in Fort Sumter.**

**Now, as the Argo II raced across the waves,** I-... ** _Leo_** **had to use all his skill just to keep the ship in one piece. Percy and Jason were a little** ** _too_** **good at cooking up massive storms.**

Nyssa and Jake groaned.

"Great _more_ repairs..." Nyssa said.

"Looks like you have to find materials again." Jake sighed. Now time it was Annabeth and Percy's turn to groan.

"The Jackson Touch strikes again." Annabeth said dryly.

Percy pretended to be offended. "Hey! It wasn't just me! Jason did it too!"

"Excuses." Annabeth playfully rolled her eyes.

**At one point, Annabeth stood next to him, yelling against the roar of the wind: "Percy says he talked to a Nereid in Charleston Harbor!"**

The readers perked up.

**"Good for him!" Leo yelled back.**

The Stolls snickered.

**"The Nereid said we should seek help from Chiron's brothers."**

The readers perked up.

"The Party Ponies?" Percy thought with a confused frown. "What are they going to do?"

"I have to mean other people," Annabeth said. "I can't imagine the _Party Ponies_ being much of a help."

"Speaking of them, what happened to them? I haven't seen them since yesterday." Travis wondered.

Percy shrugged. "I don't know, they sort of disappeared. I think they ran away."

**[Leo]... "What does that mean? The Party Ponies?"**

**Leo had never met Chiron's crazy centaur relatives,** **but he'd heard rumors of Nerf sword-fights, root beer–chugging contests, and Super Soakers filled** **with pressurized whipped cream.**

"I kinda miss partying with them, they were a lot of fun." Apollo mused.

"Me too. Wasn't a fan of the head-bashing, but still, good times." Hermes reminisced.

**"Not sure," Annabeth said. "But I've got coordinates. Can you input latitude and longitude in this thing?"**

**"I can input star charts and order you a smoothie, if you want. Of course I can do latitude and longitude!"**

Connor's eyes lit up in interest. "Seriously?"

Leo couldn't help but smile.

"Yup! As long as you press the right cheat codes on the NES controller, you can basically do anything!" Leo bragged.

_NES? Cheat codes?_ Annabeth thought tiredly. _Please don't tell me some of those codes are needed to pilot the ship..._

**Annabeth rattled off the numbers. Leo somehow managed to punch them in while holding the wheel with one hand. A red dot popped up on the bronze display screen.**

**"That location is in the middle of the Atlantic," he said. "Do the Party Ponies have a yacht?"**

"None that I can remember unless they stole it." Apollo shrugged. "Which wouldn't surprise me."

"They could be crashing a yacht party." Dionysus suggested with a yawn.

"Either one sounds possible." Hermes considered.

**Annabeth shrugged helplessly. "Just hold the ship together until we get farther from Charleston. Jason and Percy will keep up the winds!"**

Jake, Nyssa, Percy, and Thalia grimaced.

"Easier said than done." Nyssa said.

"I'm going to be _exhausted._ " Percy sighed.

**"Happy fun time!"**

"That's one way of putting it." Thalia grumbled.

**It seemed like forever, but finally the sea calmed and the winds died.**

**"Valdez," said Coach Hedge, with surprising gentleness.**

A few people's eyebrows raised in disbelief.

"He has his moments." Leo said as if reading their thoughts.

**"Let me take the wheel. You've been steering for two hours."**

" _Two hours!"_ Percy exclaimed. "And didn't the book say that the winds and sea just calmed down."

The demigods winced in sympathy.

Hephaestus was more concerned about Leo. _He must be so tired after all that pressure._

**"Two hours?"**

**"Yeah. Give me the wheel."**

**"Coach?"**

**"Yeah, kid?"**

**"I can't unclench my hands."**

The demigods laughed, Leo laughing with them.

**It was true. Leo's fingers felt like they had turned to stone. His eyes burned from staring at the horizon... Coach Hedge managed to pry him from the wheel.**

**Leo took one last look at the console, listening to Festus chatter and whir a status report. Leo felt like he was forgetting something. He stared at the controls, trying to think, but it was no good. His eyes could hardly focus.**

"It probably wasn't that important anyway." Travis said with a shrug.

Leo fiddled with the corner of the page. _Yeah, about that..._

**"Just watch for monsters," he told the coach. "And be careful with the damaged stabilizer. And—"**

"He's got it, he's got it." Connor said dismissively. "Other than you, he probably knows the most about how to fly the ship."

"After Leo, He's been flying it the most." Annabeth agreed.

_Yeah but even he forgot about the sonar._ Leo inwardly groaned. _I should've remembered._

**Leo nodded wearily. He staggered across the deck toward his friends.**

**Percy and Jason sat with their backs against the mast, their heads slumped in exhaustion. Annabeth and Piper were trying to get them to drink some water.**

"I'm surprised you're still conscious after." Thalia observed.

"Probably not for long." Percy said.

**Hazel and Frank stood just out of earshot, having an argument that involved lots of arm waving and head shaking.** Leo winced. _It doesn't take a genius to know who they're fighting about._ He drummed his fingers on the book's cover.

Nico frowned. He liked Frank and Hazel, it bothered him to hear them fight.

"I- **Leo should not have felt pleased about that, but part of him did** and that part of him really sucks." Leo made a point to add. **The other part of him felt bad that he felt pleased.** Leo sighed and tapped his foot. He checked how many pages he had left, inwardly groaned and kept reading.

**The argument stopped abruptly when Hazel saw Leo.**

**Everybody gathered at the mast.**

Frank scowled like he was trying hard to turn into a bulldog. "No sign of pursuit,"...

**"Or land," Hazel added. She looked a little green, though Leo wasn't sure if that was from the rocking of the boat or from arguing.**

"Both." Nico sighed. _Hazel isn't the confrontational type._

**Leo scanned the horizon. Nothing but ocean in every direction...He'd spent six months building a ship that he knew would cross the Atlantic. But until today, their embarking on a journey to the ancient lands hadn't seemed real.**

"I know, I can't believe we're actually going to Rome." Annabeth said. "I just wish it was for a vacation or something. How cool would it have been if we traveled around the world and visited historical landmarks? The Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, _the museums_ ," she sighed. "It would've been nice just to go it for fun..."

"Maybe we should do that," Percy suggested. "One summer, after this is all over, let's all just go on this giant world tour. It'll be you, me, Grover, Leo, and the others."

Grover jerked his head in Percy's direction with a wide-eyed expression.

"You'd want _me_ to come?" Grover asked, sounding touched.

"Yeah dude, you're my best friend. Why wouldn't I want you to come?" Percy playfully rolled his eyes.

"Um... I don't know I just thought..." Grover trailed off and awkwardly shrugged. Honestly, after going on so many quests with Percy, it felt weird to hear him go on this journey without him. That and his 'budding bromance' with Jason, the satyr couldn't help but feel left out.

**Leo had never been outside the U.S. before—except for a quick dragon flight up to Quebec. Now they were in the middle of the open sea, completely on their own, sailing to the Mare Nostrum, where all the scary monsters and nasty giants had come from.** Leo rocked his chair back.

Annabeth and Percy grimaced.

**The Romans might not follow them, but they couldn't count on any help from Camp Half-Blood, either.**

The mood became more somber hearing that.

Some of the demigods sighed, others looked down at the ground.

Leo hurriedly continued reading before the situation could get worse.

**Leo patted his waist to make sure his tool belt was still there. Unfortunately that just reminded him of Nemesis's fortune cookie, tucked inside one of the pockets.** Leo couldn't help but think of the Curse of Delos tucked in that very same pocket. His mind was about to wander to the Physician's Cure, before he stopped himself.

_Finish this stupid chapter first,_ _then_ _find the ingredients._ Leo reminded himself before he frowned. _But seriously, what's a chained god's heartbeat?_

He wished he had asked Apollo when he had the chance. Now he'd probably have to go digging through the attic for answers again.

_Ugh... that'd take too long..._   Leo inwardly groaned. _There has to be a quicker way._

**_You will always be an outsider._**   Leo's frown deepened. **The goddess's voice still wriggled around in his head.** ** _The seventh wheel._**

Hephaestus scowled.

**_Forget her,_ ** **Leo told himself.** **_Concentrate on the stuff you can fix._ **

**He turned to Annabeth. "Did you find the map you wanted?"**

Annabeth's shoulders suddenly slumped, she played with her college ring.

**She nodded, though she looked pale...**

Percy took her hand in his.

**"I'll have to study it," she said, as if that was the end of the subject. "How far are we from those coordinates?"**

**"At top rowing speed, about an hour," Leo said. "Any idea what we're looking for?"**

**"No," she admitted. "Percy?"**

**Percy raised his head. His green eyes were bloodshot and droopy.**

Will frowned.

Poseidon and Annabeth shot him looks of concern.

"I'll be fine." he assured with a sigh.

**"The Nereid said Chiron's brothers were there, and they'd want to hear about that aquarium in Atlanta. I don't know what she meant, but..." He paused, like he'd used up all his energy saying that much. "She also warned me to be careful. Keto, the goddess at the aquarium: she's the mother of sea monsters. She might be stuck in Atlanta, but she can still send her children after us. The Nereid said we should expect an attack."**

" _Great,_ right after you guys barely escaped the Romans." Thalia sighed.

"And if we do get attacked, I'd be too tired to do anything." Percy added with a scowl.

**...Jason tried to stand, which wasn't a good idea. Piper grabbed him to keep him from falling over, and he slid back down the mast.**

Thalia and Will grimaced.

**"Can we get the ship aloft?" he asked. "If we could fly—"**

**"That'd be great," Leo said. "Except Festus tells me the port aerial stabilizer got pulverized when the ship raked against the dock at Fort Sumter."**

Nyssa and Jake groaned.

"I was afraid that was going to happen..." Nyssa said.

"We didn't have a choice!" Annabeth defended. "We had to save the boys!"

"And since one of those boys was our brother, we thank you for that," Jake said patiently. "Still doesn't change the fact that you're going to be grounded for awhile."

_Grounded._ Annabeth was seriously starting to hate that word.

"For how long?" she asked.

The Hephaestus children exchanged looks.

Leo frowned. "I think it took me about... a couple days."

_"A couple days?!"_ the daughter of Athena exclaimed.

Leo winced. "I mean, it might have been sooner if it weren't for the other repairs I had to make."

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, because now his siblings' heads snapped to look at him.

"What other repairs?" Nyssa demanded.

"How bad?" Jake asked.

Leo bit his lip and played with the corner of the page.

"I mean... the ship was _kinda_ in danger of sinking and _kinda_ on fire-"

"WHAT?!" everyone in the room practically shrieked.

"But I fixed it! Relax people! They don't call me Supreme Commander of the Tool Belt for nothing!" Leo reassured.

"How'd it even.-" Percy began before he sucked his teeth. " _Keto_ , right."

"I _knew_ Coach Hedge should've kicked her again." Hermes said.

**Percy flexed his shoulders and winced. "Fine with me. The sea is good."**

**"Speak for yourself." Hazel glanced at the evening sun, which was almost to the horizon. "We need to go fast. We've burned another day, and Nico only has three more left."**

Hades and Will tensed.

Nico winced.

**"We can do it," Leo promised. He hoped Hazel had forgiven him for not trusting her brother**  
 **(hey, it had seemed like a reasonable suspicion to Leo** but now, to Leo, it seemed very stupid. Very very stupid. So stupid in fact, I- I mean _Leo_ wished the book would stop bringing up that moment **),**

Nico rolled his eyes. "We get it. It's fine."

**but he didn't want to reopen that wound. "We can make it to Rome in three days—assuming, you know, nothing unexpected happens."**

The readers groaned in annoyance.

"Dude, you just jinxed it!" Travis exclaimed.

"Sorry! I didn't know the world functioned on Murphy's Law!" Leo defended.

**Frank grunted. He looked like he was still working on that bulldog transformation. "Is there any** **_good_ ** **news?"**

**"Actually, yes," Leo said.**

The readers perked up.

**"According to Festus, our flying table, Buford, made it back safely while we were in Charleston, so those eagles didn't get him.**

Annabeth frowned. "Um... I guess that's good news, but I was kinda hoping for something that involved the quest."

"What are you talking about? Buford is loads of help on this quest! The ship would barely function without him!" Leo said before reading:" **Unfortunately, he lost the laundry bag with your pants.** "

Percy winced in sympathy. "All of them?"

"Yup." Leo simply said.

**"Dang it!" Frank barked, which Leo figured was probably severe profanity for him.**

The Stolls snickered.

**No doubt Frank would've cursed some more—busting out the** **_golly gees_ ** **and the** **_gosh darns_ ** **—but Percy interrupted by doubling over and groaning.**

Poseidon and Annabeth tensed.

Percy grimaced.

**"Did the world just turn upside down?" he asked.**

**Jason pressed his hands to his head. "Yeah, and it's spinning. Everything is yellow. Is it supposed to be yellow?"**

The son of Apollo sat up straight in his chair.

"That's it. Bed, both of you." Will ordered.

"The doctor has spoken." Nico said solmnly.

**"Summoning that storm really sapped your strength," Piper told the boys. "You've got to rest."**

Will nodded his head in approval.

**[Annabeth]... "Frank, can you help us get the guys below decks?"**

**Frank glanced at Leo, no doubt reluctant to leave him alone with Hazel.**

**"It's fine, man," Leo said. "Just try not to drop them on the way down the stairs."** Leo groaned. _Oh yeah, I did say that, didn't I?_

The demigods winced.

Ares/Mars glared at the boy.

"It was an accident." Katie reminded.

"I know." Leo sighed.

**Once the others were below, Hazel and Leo faced each other awkwardly. They were alone except for Coach Hedge, who was back on the quarterdeck singing the Pokémon theme song.**

Apollo absentmindedly started humming the beat under his breath.

**The coach had changed the words to:** **_Gotta Kill 'Em All_ ** **, and Leo really didn't want to know why.**

"I don't either." Grover admitted.

**The song didn't seem to help Hazel's nausea.**

**"Ugh..." She leaned over and hugged her sides. She had nice hair—frizzy and golden brown like curls of cinnamon. Her hair reminded Leo of a place in Houston that made excellent** **_churros_ ** **. The thought made him hungry.**

Leo suddenly felt a strong craving for the fried-dough pastry. _Oh!_ With some hot chocolate! That'd be great!

He felt his stomach rumble at the thought. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until just now but he ignored it and continued reading.

**"Don't lean over," he advised. "Don't close your eyes. It makes the queasiness worse."**

**"It does? Do you get seasick too?"**

**"Not seasick. But cars make me nauseous, and..."**

**He stopped himself. He wanted to say** **_talking to girls_ ** **, but he decided to keep that to himself.**

Aphrodite giggled.

**"Cars?" Hazel straightened with difficulty. "You can sail a ship or fly a dragon, but cars make you sick?"**

"That's what I said!" Connor exclaimed in exasperation.

**"I know, right?" Leo shrugged. "I'm special that way. Look, keep your eyes on the horizon. That's a fixed point. It'll help."**

**Hazel took a deep breath and stared into the distance. Her eyes were lustrous gold, like the copper and bronze disks inside Festus's mechanical head.**

"Aw!" Aphrodite cooed.

Artemis' eyebrows furrowed. "Was that supposed to be a compliment?"

"It is in mechanic-speak." the goddess of love explained.

**"Any better?" he asked.**

**"Maybe a little." She sounded like she was just being polite. She kept her eyes on the horizon, but Leo got the feeling she was gauging his mood, considering what to say.**

**"Frank didn't drop you on purpose," she said. "He's not like that. He's just a little clumsy**   
**sometimes."**

"He wasn't even clumsy, his wings were singed." Percy complained, brushing his hair back. _I wish he had seen that._

**_"Oops,"_** **Leo said, in his best Frank Zhang voice.** Leo didn't bother doing his impression. ** _"Dropped Leo into a squad of enemy soldiers. Dang it!"_**

**Hazel tried to suppress a smile. Leo figured smiling was better than throwing up.**

**"Go easy on him," Hazel said. "You and your fireballs make Frank nervous."**

**"The guy can turn into an elephant, and I make** **_him_ ** **nervous?"**

"It's funny how Frank made nearly the same remark earlier." Katie noticed.

**Hazel kept her eyes on the horizon. She didn't look quite so queasy...**

**"Leo," she said, "about what happened at the Great Salt Lake..."**

" _Oooo!"_ the goddess of love sang in interest.

**Here it comes, Leo thought.**

**He remembered their meeting with the revenge goddess Nemesis. The fortune cookie in his tool belt started to feel heavier. Last night, as they flew from Atlanta, Leo had lain in his cabin and thought about how angry he'd made Hazel. He had thought about ways he could make it right.**

The readers gave him confused looks.

"What are you thinking of doing?" Katie asked warily.

**_Soon you will face a problem you cannot solve,_ ** **Nemesis had said,** **_though I could help you...for a price._ **

**Leo had taken the fortune cookie out of his tool belt and turned it in his fingers, wondering what price he would have to pay if he broke it open.**

**Maybe now was the moment.**

The readers tensed.

**"I'd be willing," he told Hazel. "I could use the fortune cookie to find your brother."** Taking the stunned silence as the others just listening, Leo was about to move on to the next line until he heard Nico break out in a sputtering fit.

"Wha- I- Are- Wha-" Nico fumbled, for a minute he looked at a lost on what to say, before he turned and glared at Leo. "Are you seriously about to sacrifice yourself to find me as a way to apologize to my sister?!"

Leo tilted his head and shrugged.

"Yeah, pretty much."

He said it like it was obvious! Once again Nico found himself speechless. He opened and closed his mouth, eyes wide as dinner plates. He slowly turned to the others just to make sure he wasn't the only one who heard this. The others were either shaking their heads or (in Hephaestus' case) staring slack-jawed.

When he turned back to Leo, he still looked confused. As if _they_ were acting strange.

"...Why?" Nico says in disbelief. "Why would you think..." He let out a noise of frustration and threw his hands up. " _Why?_ _!_ "

"I wouldn't have died, I would've just came here." Leo says a matter-of-factly.

"But you didn't know that," Nico persisted. "You can't just make decisions like that so suddenly! You could've _died_!"

"But I didn't." Leo slowly reminded.

"That's not the point!" the son of Hades snapped over the others' groans. "The point is you can't be so willing to sacrifice your life like that!" Leo's expression suddenly became more serious, Nico hoped it was because he took what he said to heart as he continued. "There are other ways you can find me, you don't need to use the cookie. Okay?"

"Um... yeah... Right." Leo said awkwardly. He ignored the snort from Hermes as he continued reading.

**Hazel looked stunned. "What? No! I mean...I'd never ask you to do that.**

"Of course not!" Nico huffed in agreement.

**Not after what Nemesis said about the horrible cost. We barely know each other!"**

"Ouch!" Travis said with a wince.

"She's not wrong." Leo pointed out.

**The** ** _barely know each other_** **comment kind of hurt, though Leo knew it was true.** The son of Hephaestus swung his legs back and forth.

**"So...that's not what you wanted to talk about?" he asked. "Uh, did you want to talk about the holding-hands-on-the-boulder moment? Because—"**

Aphrodite giggled.

Leo rolled his eyes.

**"No!" she said quickly, fanning her face in that cute way she did when she was flustered.**

The goddess of love cooed.

Leo impatiently drummed his fingers on the book's cover. _Keep it together Valdez, you're almost done._

**"No, I was just thinking about the way you tricked Narcissus and those nymphs..."**

The readers couldn't help but smile.

"Bad boy Valdez," Connor snickered.

The demigods burst out in a fit of giggles and snickers. The gods smiled, a few chuckled.

Leo pretended to be offended. "Hey! I earned that title!"

**"Oh, right." Leo glanced self-consciously at his arm. The HOT STUFF tattoo hadn't completely faded. "Seemed like a good idea at the time."**

"Best idea ever." Travis said, still snickering.

**"You were amazing," Hazel said. "I've been mulling it over, how much you reminded me of—"**

**"Sammy," Leo guessed. "I wish you'd tell me who he is."**

"If she just said his last name, it'd all make sense." Annabeth remarked.

**"Who he** **_was_ ** **," Hazel corrected.**

Hephaestus sighed sadly.

**[Hazel] ..."I've been thinking...I might be able to show you."**

**"You mean like a photo?"**

Aphrodite perked up. "Wait. She has a photo of him after all these years?" she squealed. "How cute!"

" **"No.** " Leo read flatly.

The goddess of love pouted

**There's a sort of flashback that happens to me. I haven't had one in a long time, and I've never tried to make one happen on purpose. But I shared one with Frank once, so I thought..."**

"...Huh?" Travis said in confusion. 

"What is she talking about?" Chris asked.

"Hazel has this ability where she can take people back in her memories of her former life." Leo explained. "I don't know how she got it but-"

"It's a side-effect of coming back from the dead." Nico injected. Everyone turned to him. "Before she used to have no control over it. Even the slightest thing that reminded her of her past could make her have a flashback. She was never able to bring other people into her memories, I didn't even know she could control them..." the son of Hades found himself wondering what had she done to gain control. Was it just something that came naturally? Or did she develop a method? He wished he knew so he could help Hazel speed up the process of control.

**Hazel locked eyes with him. Leo started to feel jittery, like he'd been injected with coffee.** Leo couldn't help but make a face at the mention of the beverage. **If this flashback was something Frank had shared with Hazel...well, either Leo didn't want any part of it, or he _definitely_ wanted to try it. He wasn't sure which.**

"Well you have to find out the truth about Sammy, so I say go for it." Annabeth said. _Not sure what Frank's going to think when he finds out..._

She sighed.

**"When you say flashback..." He swallowed. "What exactly are we talking about? Is it safe?"**

Nico shrugged. "The worst thing that'll happen is you might feel disoriented when you return from the past, but other than that, you should be fine."

**Hazel held out her hand. "I wouldn't ask you to do this, but I'm sure it's important. It can't be a coincidence we met. If this works, maybe we can finally understand how we're connected."** Leo resisted the urge to read the last paragraphs as fast as possible. He was almost done! He could see the end of the chapter right there!

**Leo glanced back at the helm. He still had a nagging suspicion he'd forgotten something, but Coach Hedge seemed to be doing fine. The sky ahead was clear. There was no sign of trouble.**

"That means we're doomed." Percy groaned. 

The readers started to look equally anxious. It didn't help that they still remembered Leo's earlier comments on the ship's damage.

**Besides, a flashback sounded like a pretty brief thing. It couldn't hurt to let the coach be in charge for a few more minutes, could it?**

"Oh my gods, there's so many red flags in this paragraph alone." Chris sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"And the ship's just floating there, like a sitting duck." Jake said, wringing his hands.

"I just hope this flashback is as brief as possible." Lacy squeaked, shifting in her chair.

**"Okay," he relented. "Show me."** Leo read impatiently. He looked like he wanted to stand up and pace but he remained seated.

" **He took Hazel's hand, and the world dissolved.**   Finished!" Leo barely completed the sentence before, he held out the book in victory. "I'm not reading this again! Who's going next!"

"I'll go next," Clarisse said, taking the book.

" **Leo XXII** ," she began.

The son of Hephaestus was so relieved his turn was done, he didn't even care that they still had three more of his chapters left to go.

At least, not in that moment.


	22. Leo XXII

" **Leo XXII** ," Clarisse read.

Leo didn't bother to complain. Listening to his thoughts was better than reading after all.

He rolled up his sleeves.

**THEY STOOD IN THE COURTYARD of an old compound, like a monastery. Red brick walls were overgrown with vines. Big magnolia trees had cracked the pavement. The sun beat down, and the humidity was about two hundred percent, even stickier than in Houston.**

The demigods frowned as they listened to the description.

"Where are they?" Katie wondered.

"It's too soon to tell..." Annabeth trailed off, thinking of places Sammy and Hazel could've met. "It could be a school."

"Well, schools _are_ a monstrosity..." Connor pretended to consider. Clarisse rolled her eyes.

"I said _monastery_ not _monstrosity,_ dummy." she snorted.

**... The courtyard was about the size of a basketball court. An old deflated football sat in one corner, at the base of a Virgin Mary statue.**

**"Where are we?" he asked.**

**"My old school," Hazel said next to him. "St. Agnes Academy for Colored Children and Indians."**

The demigods' jaws dropped. The gods winced and grimaced.

"She really went to a school like that?" Travis said in disbelief.

"Hazel was born in the 1920s," Nico said, his upper lip curled in disgust. "That's what happened during that time period."

The demigods shifted uncomfortably. It was one thing to learn about what happened in history books, but to hear someone they knew go through such an experience left a bad taste in their mouths.

**"What kind of name—?"**

**He turned toward Hazel and yelped. She was a ghost—just a vaporous silhouette in the steamy air.**

The demigods' eyes widened.

**Leo looked down and realized his own body had turned to mist too.**

Some of the teens shuddered.

"Wh-Why are they like that?" Lacy nervously asked.

"They're not actually at the school, they're in a memory. That's why they're transparent." Nico explained, twisting his skull ring.

"Like _A Christmas Carol..._ " Annabeth mused.

Percy couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, that's one way to put it."

The son of Hades rolled his eyes.

Seeing this, Annabeth couldn't help but frown. She chose to ignore his reaction and focus on the story.

**..."This is a memory," Hazel said, "so no one will see us. Look, here we come."**

**_"We?"_ **

"Does she mean 'we' as in 'Sammy and I' or 'you and I'?" she wondered.

Leo shrugged, he pulled out a couple erasers.

"Could be a little of both." he said awkwardly. Leo couldn't help but feel a sense of discomfort towards what was to come, when his cooler look-alike comes to steal the show.

**From every door, dozens of children spilled into the courtyard, yelling and jostling each other.**

**They were mostly African American, with a sprinkling of Hispanic-looking kids, as young as kindergartners and as old as high schoolers. Leo could tell this was in the past, because all the girls wore dresses and buckled leather shoes. The boys wore white collared shirts and pants held up by suspenders.**

"Sounds like the outfit Mom made for you." Mitchell noticed.

Travis snickered. "I knew that outfit was for grandpas."

Leo made a big show of looking offended. "Uh... _excuse you,_ it's called a 'comeback' for a reason."

**Many wore caps like horse jockeys wear.**

"They wear horse jockey hats, but they're not going to a horse race?" Percy frowned. "Fashion was weird."

"Still pretty strange if you ask me." Hephaestus grunted.

**...A few of the girls began playing jump rope with an old piece of clothesline. The older guys tossed a ratty baseball back and forth. Kids with lunches sat together and ate and chatted.**

**No one paid Ghost Hazel or Leo any attention.**

"That's a good thing, they'd freak out if they could see you." Will remarked.

"Not to mention cause some kind of rift in the space-time continuum," Mitchell added.

"Not stopping us now." Leo said, juggling his erasers.

**Then Hazel—Hazel from the** **_past_ ** **—stepped into the courtyard. Leo recognized her with no problem, though she looked about two years younger than now. Her hair was pinned back in a bun. Her gold eyes darted around the courtyard uneasily. She wore a dark dress, unlike the other girls in their white cotton or pastel flowery prints, so she stood out like a mourner at a wedding.**

A faint smile appeared on Hades' face.

Demeter snorted.

"I wonder whose child she is?" she said sarcastically.

"I know right? Couldn't she have worn something less... _Hades-ish_?" Aphrodite remarked.

Nico couldn't help but look down at his own black T-shirt with a skull.

Hades gave Aphrodite a flat look.

" _Hades-ish?_ Really?" the god said dryly.

"Wearing enough black to look like a lost undertaker is a very 'Hades' thing to do." the goddess explained before she added as an afterthought. "But I didn't think Hazel would be the type of person to have such a drab fashion taste..."

_"Excuse me?"_

"Her mother must have picked it out for her." Demeter suggested, she couldn't help but feel smug at Hades' affronted expression.

**She gripped a canvas lunch bag and moved along the wall, as if trying hard not to be noticed.**

Most of the demigods knowingly tensed.

Their parents worriedly glanced at them.

Percy's eyes narrowed. There was only one reason he could think of that would make Hazel act like that...

**It didn't work. A boy called out, "Witch girl!"**

Hades' expression darkened.

Nico balled his hands into fists.

Percy scowled.

**He lumbered toward her, backing her into a corner.**

Hades stiffened, his upper lip curling in contempt.

**The boy could have been fourteen or nineteen.**

"That's pretty specific." Katie noticed, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"It was hard to tell just how old this guy was. On one hand, he could've gotten held-back, but on another hand, he could've just looked older because he was so big and tall." Leo explained. He tried balancing an eraser on the tip of his nose.

The daughter of Demeter watched his antics with a bewildered frown. "Right."

**..."That's Rufus," said Ghost Hazel with distaste.**

Despite the situation, the Stolls started snickering. Leo smiling as he heard the name.

"Wait-" Travis snickered, "that was an actual name people used?"

"I thought 'Rufus' was reserved for naked mole rats." Connor joked.

"Times were hard back then." the son of Hephaestus said as sadly as he could with an eraser on his nose.

A few people rolled their eyes at the boys' commentary.

**"Seriously? No way his name is Rufus," Leo said.**

The snickers from the three grew a little louder.

The eraser on Leo's nose fell off and landed on the ground.

**"Come on," said Ghost Hazel. She drifted toward the confrontation...**

**The big kid Rufus had flat features, as if he spent most of his time face-planting on the sidewalk. His hair was cut just as flat on top, so miniature airplanes could've used it for a landing strip.**

"And nobody's tried landing a paper plane on this guy's head?" Travis asked. " _Com'on!_ That description is practically telling us to do it!"

"That would only get you beat up after class." Katie told them.

"Not if you do it with his back turned during class!" Travis suggested. He laughed. "Can you imagine the look on his face?"

The boy attempted to mimic Rufus's dumb expression.

Katie couldn't help but giggle.

**Rufus thrust out his hand. "Lunch."** Clarisse rolled her eyes. _What no 'please'?_

Percy scowled.

"You're kidding, right?" he grumbled under his breath.

Nico gnashed his teeth together.

Clarisse could practically feel the heat of Hades' glare from behind the book. She did her best to ignore it and keep reading.

**Hazel from the past didn't protest. She handed over her canvas bag like this was an everyday occurrence.**

"It probably was..." Hestia said sadly.

Poseidon grimaced. "Where's the teacher? Shouldn't they have stopped this by now?"

"Yeah right, they don't care. Even if she told one of them, they'd just brush it off and tell her to go handle it like 'an adult'." Percy couldn't help but say. His statement earned a few grim nods from the others.

Poseidon felt his heart clench, he worriedly looked at his son.

**A few older girls drifted over to watch the fun.**

" _Oh great, a crowd..."_ Nico said, sarcasm practically oozing in his voice.

"No bully is complete without one of those." Percy added with his own level of sarcasm.

**One giggled at Rufus. "You don't want to eat that," she warned. "It's probably poison."**

_"What?"_ Hestia said incredulously.

"Don't they have anything better to do?" Percy complained. "It's _recess,_ go play Four Square, Tag, do _something!_ Why are you wasting your time making someone miserable?"

"Because they're miserable people." Annabeth said.

**"You're right," Rufus said. "Did your witch mom make this, Levesque?"**

Hades could barely contain the growl that was threatening to come out. He briefly entertained the idea of visiting this 'Rufus' person a visit in the Underworld.

**"She's not a witch," Hazel muttered.**

**Rufus dropped the bag and stepped on it, smashing the contents under his bare heel.**

_"Seriously?"_   Percy snapped.

Annabeth squeezed his arm. "Calm down, it just her memory. This already happened."

"Doesn't make it right..." he muttered, but he tried to relax his rigid posture.

**"You can have it back. I want a diamond, though. I hear your momma can make those out of thin air. Gimme a diamond."**

Chris frowned. "But aren't Hazel's jewels cursed?"

"He must not care or not believe rumors," Nico said. "Hazel wouldn't give them to him anyway, she's not that type of person." _Better than me._

**"I don't have diamonds," Hazel said. "Go away."**

**Rufus balled his fists.**

The readers tensed.

_If he so much as touches a hair on her head..._ the god gnashed his teeth together.

**Then another kid stumbled outside into the sunlight.**

_Here he comes._ Leo thought, resisting the urge to sigh.

"Sammy?" Annabeth guessed.

"Yup." he replied shortly. Leo kicked the eraser around.

**Leo sucked in his breath. The boy looked exactly like him.**

Leo made a face.

"I wouldn't say _exactly,_ " he weakly protested. "My hair's darker."

"If that's all than it hardly matters." Hera rolled her eyes.

**...Fake Leo was the same height as Regular Leo—meaning he was short.**

The blank expression on Leo's face was enough to have the Stolls bust out laughing.

" _Aw!_ Cheer up, man!" Travis happily said, patting his back. "At least you have someone to blame for your _little_ problem!"

"And here I was thinking that you didn't drink enough milk! But nope! You were doomed from the start!" Connor joked.

"I hate you guys." Leo said in a deadpan tone. The Stolls merely laughed in reponse.

"Love you too, cuz!" they replied in unison.

**He had the same nervous energy—tapping his fingers against his trousers, brushing at his white cotton shirt, adjusting the jockey cap on his curly brown hair. (Really, Leo thought, short people should not wear jockey caps unless they were jockeys.)**

"Your _abuelito_ wasn't a jockey, but he used to care for horses owned by wealthy families." Hephaestus told his son.

_The stories he told about those people..._ the god absentmindedly thought. He wasn't sure if the man had made some of them up just to gain a reaction or if they were real but his stories were... _eccentric_ to say the least.

**Fake Leo had the same devilish smile that greeted Regular Leo whenever he looked in a mirror—an expression that made teachers immediately shout, "Don't even think about it!" and plop him in the front row.**

"It's a blessing and a curse..." Leo tried to joke.

**Apparently, Fake Leo had just been scolded by a teacher. He was holding a dunce cap—an honest-to-goodness cardboard cone that said DUNCE...**

Will did a double-take.

"Wait," he blinked. "Those were actually a thing? I thought they only existed in cartoons."

"Guess they had to come up with the idea somewhere." Chris remarked.

**He could understand why Fake Leo wasn't wearing it. Bad enough to look like a jockey. With that cone on his head, he would've looked like a gnome.**

The demigods snickered, Leo wasn't sure if it was because of his joke or that they were all picturing him dressed as a gnome.

**Some kids backed up when Fake Leo burst onto the scene. Others nudged each other and ran toward him like they were expecting a show.**

The demigods looked excited as well, eager to see just how similar the two relatives were.

"If he's anything like Leo, I wouldn't be surprised if he starts drawing tattoos on his arms." Chris joked, earning a some laughs.

Leo couldn't help but make a face. Seeing his look-alike was one thing, but having him come up with the exact same plan he would come up with a century later would've been creepy.

"Nah, Rufus isn't that hard that he needs to bring out the big guns," Connor argued. "All he has to do is talk long enough that he forgets what he's doing."

"Or turn the group against him." Travis added.

**Meanwhile, Flathead Rufus was still trying to punk Hazel out of a diamond, oblivious to Fake Leo's arrival.**

"He doesn't know when to give up, does he?" Hera said, crossing her arms.

"He will learn..." Hades said darkly. He wished he knew this boy's last name. It would make it a lot easier to find him.

_Looks like the Kindly Ones will have some work to do._ he decided.

**"Come on, girl." Rufus loomed over Hazel with his fists clenched. "Give it!"**

**Hazel pressed herself against the wall. Suddenly the ground at her feet went snap, like a twig breaking. A perfect diamond the size of a pistachio glittered between her feet.**

The Stolls perked up.

"Cursed, remember?" Katie reminded, but the brothers weren't deterred.

"There has to be some kind of loophole to that curse," Connor said. "Maybe the curse isn't that bad... Maybe it makes you an hour late to wherever you're going or makes you forget one thing you need most for the day."

"Those sound pretty bad in the long run," Chris remarked.

"But I could work around it," Travis assured. "I mean it's a _diamond!"_

"Please don't risk your life for cursed diamonds," Hermes felt the need to say.

**"Ha!" Rufus barked when he saw it. He started to lean down, but Hazel yelped, "No, please!" as if she was genuinely concerned for the big goon.**

"That's the type of person she is." Nico said.

**That's when Fake Leo strolled over.**

**Here it comes, Leo thought. Fake Leo is gonna bust out some Coach Hedge–style jujitsu and save the day.**

The readers looked at Leo as if he grew a second head.

"You think based on the description Sammy's a fighter?" Will said in disbelief.

"You're kidding right?" Thalia said bluntly.

"Who do you think would win in a hand-to-hand combat? Sammy or Leo?" Travis mused.

"Neither, it would just end up being a slap fight until Hazel and Jason pull them apart." Connor laughed.

"Okay, _no._ I would definitely win." Leo defended, fighting back an amused grin. "I might not be Jason level strong or Percy's, but I think I'm strong enough to take on a mortal."

**Instead, Fake Leo put the top of the dunce cap to his mouth like a megaphone and yelled, "CUT!"**

"To be fair, that's what I'd do with it too." Connor shrugged.

"Maybe that's why they stopped making Dunce caps, too many kids were using them for megaphones." Will considered.

**He said it with such authority all the other kids momentarily froze. Even Rufus straightened and backed away in confusion.**

Leo couldn't help but wish he had that same authority in his own voice. It would've been nice to have when convincing everyone to work with the Romans.

_I guess that's one thing that makes us different._ the son of Hephaestus sighed.

**Sammy/Fake Leo stormed up to Rufus with his dunce cap in his hand, looking angry. "No, no, no!" he announced, waving his free hand wildly at the other kids, who were gathering to watch the entertainment.**

**Sammy turned to Hazel. "Miss Lamarr, your line is..." Sammy looked around in exasperation.** **"Script! What is Hedy Lamarr's line?"**

The demigods all glanced around at each other with confused expressions.

"Hedy Lamarr?" Chris repeated, eyebrows furrowing. He and the others turned to Nico for answers.

The son of Hades rolled his eyes at their expectant stares.

"Just because I was born in 1936, doesn't mean I know names of old-time celebrities from the top of my head." he shrugged. "I don't remember who she is. Some kind of actress...?"

There was a small gasp from the corner of the room, the teens were startled at the sudden noise until they realized it was Hestia by her hearth.

"None of you know who Hedy Lamarr is?" the goddess asked. "You've never heard of her movies? _Dishonored Lady? Boom Town? Tortilla Flat?_ "

Seeing their blank expressions, the goddess made another noise in astonishment.

"She invented the beginnings of wireless communication?" Hestia tried, when she still wasn't getting the response she wanted, the goddess sighed.

"What do they teach you in school?" she said, more to herself.

"To fend for yourself," Hades said tightly, drumming his fingers against his armrest.

**_"'No, please, you villain!'"_ ** **one of the boys called out.**

**"Thank you!" Sammy said. "Miss Lamarr, you're supposed to say, No, please, you villain! And you, Clark Gable—"**

Hestia, Hermes, and Apollo burst out laughing. The other gods smiled at the absurdity.

The demigods sat in awkward silence.

**"Mr. Gable—"**

**"No!" one of the girls cried. "Make him Gary Cooper."**

Now more of the Olympians were joining the trio's laughter.

The demigods blinked.

"I don't think I've ever felt more left out in a joke than I do now..." Connor admitted. The other teens silently agreed.

"You don't know him either!" Hestia said in astonishment. She tsked. "You need to watch more movies... Maybe the camp should start Movie Nights." she mused to herself.

**...Rufus looked as if he were about to blow a valve. He balled his fists like he wanted to hit somebody, but he couldn't attack the entire school.**

"He should try, it would make this chapter more entertaining..." Ares said, biting back a yawn.

**He clearly hated being laughed at, but his slow little mind couldn't quite work out what Sammy was up to.**

A few of the demigods laughed, some smirked.

**Leo nodded in appreciation. Sammy was like him.** **Leo had done the same kind of stuff to bullies for years.**

Before he had made this simply as an observation, but now it felt like yet another reminder of how his whole existence was a classic example of Nature vs. Nurture.

_This is so weird._ Leo thought. _And it's never explained. I'm just supposed to accept there was this other Valdez who looked and acted exactly like me but was ten times cooler._

He tossed his eraser from hand to hand. _At least his jokes are dated..._

**"Right!" Sammy yelled imperiously. "Mr. Cooper, you say,** **_Oh, but the diamond is mine, my treacherous darling!_ ** **And then you scoop up the diamond like this!"**

**"Sammy, no!" Hazel protested, but Sammy snatched up the stone and slipped it into his pocket in one smooth move.**

The readers tensed.

"This is bad..." Percy grimaced. "What exactly happens when you take one of Hazel's jewels?"

He couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling in his stomach as he noticed Nico's grim expression.

"She was vague about it," Nico admitted. "All she said was that they made people suffer..."

A few people shuddered.

"Well that's reassuring," Clarisse said sarcastically.

"It can't be that bad..." Jake trailed off, playing with the bandage on his arm. "Leo wouldn't be here if it was deadly."

The demigods could only hope he was right.

**He wheeled on Rufus. "I want emotion! I want the ladies in the audience swooning! Ladies, did Mr. Cooper make you swoon just now?"**

The girls in the room made faces. A few scoffed.

"Not unless you find guys who torment people attractive." Annabeth snorted.

**"No," several of them called back.**

**"There, you see?" Sammy cried. "Now, from the top!" he yelled into his dunce cap. "Action!"**

**Rufus was just starting to get over his confusion. He stepped toward Sammy and said, "Valdez, I'm gonna—"**

"Guess the jigs up," Apollo said.

"What's he going to do next?" Hestia wondered, smile fading into a worried frown.

**The bell rang.**

"Saved by the bell!" Hermes grinned.

**Kids swarmed the doors. Sammy pulled Hazel out of the way as the little ones— who acted like they were on Sammy's payroll—herded Rufus along with them so he was carried inside on a tide of kindergartners.**

Hestia couldn't help but smile at the mental image.

**Soon Sammy and Hazel were alone...**

**Sammy scooped up Hazel's smashed lunch, made a show of dusting off the canvas bag, and presented it to her with a deep bow, as if it were her crown. "Miss Lamarr."**

"Aw! What a gentleman!" Aphrodite giggled.

Artemis and her hunters looked unimpressed.

"I hope he wasn't expecting her to still eat that." Phoebe grumbled.

**Hazel from the past took her ruined lunch. She looked like she was about to cry, but Leo couldn't tell if that was from relief or misery or admiration.**

"I'm leaning more towards relief and admiration," Aphrodite said with a smile.

"It could be all three, he picked up the diamond remember?" Demeter reminded, earning a frown from the goddess.

**"Sammy...Rufus is going to kill you."**

"Who? Him? _Nah!_ " Connor said dismissively. "Leo's proof that this guy's not going to do anything."

**"Ah, he knows better than to tangle with me." Sammy plopped the dunce cap on top of his jockey cap. He stood up straight and stuck out his scrawny chest. The dunce cap fell off.**

The Stolls snickered.

**Hazel laughed. "You are ridiculous."**

**"Why, thank you, Miss Lamarr."**

**"You're welcome,** **_my treacherous darling."_ **

**Sammy's smile wavered. The air became uncomfortably charged. Hazel stared at the ground. "You shouldn't have touched that diamond. It's dangerous."**

The readers grimaced.

**"Ah, come on," Sammy said. "Not for me!"**

"You say that but..." Nico trailed off, twisting his ring.

**[Hazel] ..."Bad things might happen. You shouldn't—"**

**"I won't sell it," Sammy said. "I promise! I'll just keep it as a token of your flavor."** Thinking she mispronounced (or her dyslexia was being a pain again), Clarisse paused and silently reread the sentence. When she saw she was correct, the girl couldn't help but roll her eyes.

**Hazel forced a smile. "I think you mean** **_token of my favor."_ **

The demigods smiled as well. The Stolls snickered.

**"There you are! We should get going. It's time for our next scene** **_: Hedy Lamarr nearly dies of boredom in English class."_ **

"I guess some things never change." Percy said, remembering his classes with his 'old sot' English teacher Mr. Nicoll.

**Sammy held out his elbow like a gentleman, but Hazel pushed him away playfully. "Thanks for being there, Sammy."**

**"Miss Lamarr, I will** **_always_ ** **be there for you!" he said brightly.**

"Considering there was a chance that he was you, this feels like foreshadowing." Katie pointed out.

Leo gave a half-hearted nod in agreement.

**The two of them raced back into the schoolhouse.**

**Leo felt more like a ghost than ever. Maybe he had actually been an eidolon his whole life, because this kid he'd just seen should have been the** **_real_ ** **Leo.**

Hephaestus and the demigods frowned.

**He was smarter, cooler, and funnier. He flirted so well with Hazel that he had obviously stolen her heart.**

"I don't think it's fair to compare yourself to someone who's used to these circumstances." Annabeth told him. "Sammy's probably been tricking Rufus for awhile. He knows how to get the crowd on his side and he probably already knew beforehand how long he needed to distract Rufus before the bell rung. And with Hazel, he's known her longer than you have and he's not going through the same... _complications_ you, Hazel, and Frank are having now."

Leo grimaced. "Yeah, you have a point."

**..."Hazel," he said. "I—I don't—"**

**The schoolyard dissolved into a different scene.**

**Hazel and Leo were still ghosts, but now they stood in front of a rundown house next to a**   
**drainage ditch overgrown with weeds. A clump of banana trees drooped in the yard. Perched on the steps, an old-fashioned radio played conjunto music, and on the shaded porch, sitting in a rocking chair, a skinny old man gazed at the horizon.**

Hephaestus' expression soften in recognition.

The rest of the readers, except Hera, frowned in confusion.

"Uh... Where are we?" Katie asked.

"Houston." Leo answered, his voice carrying a nostalgic sadness. He ran his hand through his hair and bit his lip.

"But why?" Annabeth asked, toying with her necklace.

"You'll see," he simply said.

**"Where** **_are_ ** **we?" Hazel asked. She was still only vapor, but her voice was full of alarm. "This isn't from my life!"**

**..."It's Houston," [Leo] realized. "I know this view. That drainage ditch...This is my mom's old neighborhood, where she grew up. Hobby Airport is over that way."**

**"This is** **_your_ ** **life?" Hazel said. "I don't understand! How—?"**

**"You're asking me?" Leo demanded.**

"They must be here because of what brings them together," Nico said.

"Which means, that old man must be Sammy..." Annabeth realized.

**Suddenly the old man murmured, "Ah, Hazel..."**

**A shock went up Leo's spine. The old man's eyes were still fixed on the horizon. How did he know they were here?**

"He can't, he's just reminiscing about the past." Hephaestus said. _Just like he always did._

The god felt a pang of grief. He missed those times, even if he had found Sammy's insistence to talk to him overwhelming.

**"I guess we ran out of time," the old man continued dreamily. "Well..."**

**He didn't finish the thought.**

**...He had leathery skin, curly white hair, and gnarled hands, like he'd spent a lifetime working in a** **machine shop. He wore a pale yellow shirt, spotless and clean, with gray slacks and suspenders and polished black shoes.**

**Despite his age, his eyes were sharp and clear. He sat with a kind of quiet dignity. He looked at peace—amused, even, like he was thinking,** **_Dang, I lived this long? Cool!_ **

"Considering you're supposed to be cursed, it's more than just cool," Percy chuckled.

**...The screen door opened. A young woman came out. She wore jeans and a turquoise blouse. Her hair was cut in a short black wedge. She was pretty, but not delicate. She had well-muscled arms and calloused hands. Like the old man's, her brown eyes glinted with amusement. In her arms was a baby, wrapped in a blue blanket.**

Leo blinked back tears.

Hephaestus smiled sadly. He wished he had been there during that moment.

The room became more somber.

**"Look,** **_mijo_ ** **," she said to the baby. "This is your** **_bisabuelo. Bisabuelo,_ ** **you want to hold him?"**

Leo wiped away a stray tear.

**It was his mother—younger than he remembered her, but very much alive. That meant the baby in her arms...**

**The old man broke into a huge grin. He had perfect teeth, as white as his hair. His face crinkled with smile lines. "A boy!** **_Mi bebito,_ ** **Leo!"**

"Well this is embarrassing!" Leo admitted with a small laugh. He wiped away another tear.

The readers gave him sympathetic glances but otherwise didn't respond.

**"Leo?" Hazel whispered. "That—that's you? What is** **_bisabuelo?"_ **

**Leo couldn't find his voice. Great-grandfather, he wanted to say.**

**The old man took baby Leo in his arms, chuckling with appreciation and tickling the baby's chin—and Ghost Leo finally realized what he was seeing.**

**Somehow, Hazel's power to revisit the past had found the one event that connected both of their lives—where Leo's time line touched Hazel's.**

"It's weird," Leo cleared his throat when his voice cracked. "Me traveling to the past and reading about myself traveling to the past."

"Yeah, I guess that's your thing now. Leo Valdez: Time Traveler." Connor said dramatically, panning his hand across the room to emphasize his point.

"Or maybe something more humble, like Leo Valdez: Supreme Commander of All Things Time Travel!" Travis said more dramatically, wiggling his fingers.

"You call that humble?" Katie said, but she smiled good naturedly as the three laughed.

"Now that I think about it, I think 'Time Lord' has a better ring to it." Leo said, his smile more genuine.

**"Oh..." Hazel seemed to realize who he was at the same moment. Her voice became very small, on the verge of tears. "Oh, Sammy, no..."**

**"Ah, little Leo," said Sammy Valdez...**

Leo groaned at the nickname.

The Stolls snickered at his expense.

"Poor Little Leo," Travis said in mock sadness.

"Shut up," he said, making a big show of rolling his eyes.

**"You'll have to be my stunt double, eh? That's what they call it, I think. Tell her for me. I hoped I would be alive, but, _ay_ , the curse won't have it!"**

This got the readers' attention.

"Wait..." Annabeth said slowly. "Did he know that Hazel would come back to life?"

"But that's impossible," Nico said in disbelief. "There's no way that a mortal could've known that. Did he even know that Greek gods existed?"

"I don't think Mom told him," Leo mentioned, recalling the sad expression on her face as the man rambled on to his baby self.

**Hazel sobbed. "Gaea...Gaea told me that he died of a heart attack, in the 1960s. But this isn't— this can't be..."**

"Why would she even say that? What does she get out of it?" Lacy said, feeling bad. To hear news like that from their greatest enemy must've been devastating.

"To crush her." Nico said, posture rigid. "Sammy was her only friend before she was forced to move. If Gaea had told her something like that when she was still adjusting to the new time period..." 

He trailed off, balling his hands into fists.

For a brief moment, the god of the dead looked shaken by the idea. His form rippled like a reflection in water before he composed himself.

**"That lady, Doña Callida, she warned me." Sammy shook his head sadly.**

Hephaestus sent his mother a glare.

_She spoke to him too?_ the god thought, gritting his teeth. _Is there any other Valdez this woman hasn't harassed yet?_

**"She said Hazel's great danger would not happen in my lifetime. But I promised I would be there for her. You will have to tell her I'm sorry, Leo. Help her if you can."**

**_"Bisabeulo,"_ Esperanza said, "you must be tired."**

**She extended her arms to take the baby, but the old man cuddled him a moment longer. Baby Leo seemed perfectly fine with it.**

Older Leo, not so much. He looked more embarrassed by the act of affection than anything else.

**"Tell her I'm sorry I sold the diamond, eh?" Sammy said. "I broke my promise. When she** **disappeared in Alaska...ah, so long ago, I finally used that diamond, moved to Texas as I always dreamed. I started my machine shop. Started my family! It was a good life, but Hazel was right. The diamond came with a curse. I never saw her again."**

The readers winced.

"He must've carried that guilt all this time..." Hestia said.

**"Oh, Sammy," Hazel said. "No, a curse didn't keep me away. I wanted to come back. I died!"**

Hades/Pluto reared back as if he'd been slapped.

**The old man didn't seem to hear. He smiled down at the baby, and kissed him on the head.**

" _Okay, okay,_ that's enough already." Leo said, fidgeting. He refused to meet anyone's eyes. 

So much for being a bad boy.

**"I give you my blessing, Leo. First male great-grandchild! I have a feeling you are special, like Hazel was. You are more than a regular baby, eh? You will carry on for me. You will see her someday. Tell her hello for me."**

**_"Bisabuelo,"_ Esperanza said, a little more insistently.**

**"Yes, yes." Sammy chuckled. " _El viejo loco_ rambles on. I am tired, Esperanza. You are right. But I'll rest soon. It's been a good life. Raise him well, _nieta_."**

Hephaestus sighed sadly.

**The scene faded.**

**Leo was standing on the deck of the Argo II, holding Hazel's hand. The sun had gone down, and the ship was lit only by bronze lanterns. Hazel's eyes were puffy from crying.**

**"Hello, Hazel Levesque," he said, his voice gravelly.**

**Her chin trembled. She turned away and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, the ship lurched to one side.**

The readers tensed.

"What's happening?!" Lacy yelled in a panic.

"It could be the ship in need of repairs," Jake said, trying to remain calm.

"Or..." Nyssa trailed off with a grimace.

**"Leo!" Coach Hedge yelled.  
**

**Festus whirred in alarm and blew flames into the night sky. The ship's bell rang.**

**"Those monsters you were worried about?" Hedge shouted. "One of 'em found us!"**

The demigods winced.

Percy groaned. "Great. Just when I was starting to forget."

"Can't wait to see what freak of the week we're dealing with today." Annabeth added dryly.

"That's the end of the chapter," Clarisse said. 

"I'll do it," Hera volunteered. 

When she was handed the book, the goddess began to read.

" **Leo XXIII** ,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	23. Leo XXIII

" **Leo XXIII** ," Hera read.

The readers anxiously waited to hear what happens next.

**LEO DESERVED A DUNCE CAP.**

Said boy was given confused looks.

" _Uh..._ Why?" Percy asked.

" _Because_ this could've all been avoided if I just remembered to switch the detection system from radar to sonar," Leo groaned, brushing his hair back. "It's designed to alert Festus of any nearby monsters, but it only works in one mode at a time."

"And you have to switch it manually?" Jake frowned. "Why doesn't it switch modes automatically?"

Leo played with a button on his jacket. "I tried to do that but earliest attempts would always end with the system being fried or glitching out before shutting down altogether." he sighed with annoyance. "I didn't have time to fix the bugs, so I decided it would be easier to just make it a switch."

"And where were we during all this?" Nyssa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Er..." Leo suddenly found the ceiling to be interesting. "I didn't think it was a big deal at the time and you guys were already working hard so..."

"You tried to take care of the problem yourself." Nyssa finished.

"It works fine," Leo insisted. "If I had remembered to switch it, none of this would've happened."

"It works fine but things would be easier if the settings switched automatically." Jake said, trying to sound as gentle as possible. "You can't always count on remembering to flip the switch, there's going to be times when you're too busy or forget to do it."

"As we're seeing right now." Leo added flatly, but he nodded his head. "Yeah you're right."

"This time, let's try to fix the problem as a team. Maybe we can ask Shane for advise, he's more experienced in the tech stuff." Jake said. Nyssa nudged him and grinned.

"Look at you! Acting like a camp counselor!" she teased.

Jake cringed. "Don't even joke about that. I'm hardly leadership material."

**...He'd been so rattled by the Romans, then the storm, then Hazel, that he had completely** **forgotten. Now, a monster was right underneath them.**

_Please just let this be a little sea monster. Don't make this like the giant squid or Charybdis and Scylla._ Percy subconsciously shuddered, thinking about his previous encounter with the beasts.

 **The ship tilted to starboard. Hazel gripped the rigging. Hedge yelled, "Valdez, which button** **blows up monsters? Take the helm!"**

**Leo climbed the tilting deck and managed to grab the port rail. He started clambering sideways toward the helm, but when he saw the monster surface, he forgot how to move.**

The readers held their breath.

**The thing was the length of their ship. In the moonlight, it looked like a cross between a giant shrimp and a** **cockroach, with a pink chitinous shell, a flat crayfish tail, and millipede-type legs undulating hypnotically as the monster scraped against the hull of the Argo II.**

**Its head surfaced last—the slimy pink face of an enormous catfish with glassy dead eyes, a gaping toothless maw, and a forest of tentacles sprouting from each nostril, making the bushiest nose beard Leo had ever had the displeasure to behold.**

The children from the Aphrodite Cabin started gagging.

"Keto calls _that_ her baby?! _Ew!"_ shrieked an Aphrodite girl, who was followed up by similar noises of disgust from her siblings.

"That's a baby only a mother could love." Katie said, making a face.

"What the Hades is that thing?" Travis blinked, still taking in the description.

"It's Skolopendra," Poseidon said, his hands squeezing his trident. "Part crayfish, part shrimp. It's the largest sea monster ever to exist."

"And it's going to attack us..." Percy grimaced. "I'm starting to see how the ship ends up nearly sinking..."

"Maybe you can try talking to it?" Annabeth suggested. "Try convincing it not to attack us?"

Her boyfriend didn't look to hopeful about it working but he shrugged. "It wouldn't hurt to try. Maybe talking would distract it long enough for someone to land a surprise attack."

**Leo remembered special Friday night dinners he and his mom used to share at a local seafood restaurant in Houston. They would eat shrimp and catfish. The idea now made him want to throw up.**

Lacy and Mitchell looked queasy just hearing about it.

"Not sure if this is enough to make me want to quit eating shrimp," Percy mused.

Annabeth snorted. "Knowing you, it's not."

**"Come on, Valdez!" Hedge yelled. "Take the wheel so I can get my baseball bat!"**

"How will that help?" Thalia said, rolling her eyes.

**"A bat's not going to help," Leo said, but he made his way toward the helm.**

**Behind him, the rest of his friends stumbled up the stairs.**

**Percy yelled, "What's going— Gah! Shrimpzilla!"**

Caught off guard by the sudden name, the readers froze before they burst into laughter. Leo joining them.

"Shrimpzilla!" Connor repeated laughing harder.

" _Shrimpzilla!"_ Travis repeated, doing his best impression of  Percy Jackson.

"I like it! Just rolls off the tongue!" Hermes chuckled.

"Short, sweet, and gets to the point!" Apollo said brightly. "Better than whatever that thing's real name is!"

" _Skolopendra,"_ Poseidon told the god. He briefly gave his son an amused but bewildered smile. _Kids think of the strangest things._

Once everyone calmed down (with a few demigods still giggling and snickering), Hera continued reading.

**...The monster rammed the ship again. The hull groaned. Annabeth, Piper, and Jason tumbled to starboard and almost rolled overboard.**

The laughter stopped altogether. The readers tensed.

**Leo reached the helm. His hands flew across the controls. Over the intercom, Festus clacked and clicked about leaks below decks, but the ship didn't seem to be in danger of sinking—at least not yet.**

"Not helping..." Annabeth muttered, face paling.

"What are they going to do about the leaks?!" Lacy squeaked.

"They can't do anything until they get rid of that monster first." Clarisse roughly pointed out.

Leo rocked his chair back and forth.

**Leo toggled the oars. They could convert into spears, which should be enough to drive the** **creature away.**

"Perfect!" Annabeth sighed with relief.

**Unfortunately, they were jammed.**

Her and the other demigods groaned in frustration.

"Spoke too soon." the daughter of Athena grumbled.

**Shrimpzilla must have knocked them out of alignment, and the monster was in spitting distance, which meant that Leo couldn't use the ballistae without setting the Argo II on fire as well.**

"So we have no real fire power to fight back with." Percy placed a hand on his forehead, his eyes narrowed in concerntration. "Maybe I have enough strength in me to use the water to push it back?"

"Wouldn't it be to heavy to move?" Annabeth reminded, squeezing her ring.

Percy rubbed his forehead.

"It doesn't have to move it far, just enough that it's safe to fire the ballistae." he said weakly, but even as he said it, he already knew that the plan was doomed from the start.

**"How did it get so close?" Annabeth shouted, pulling herself up on one of the rail shields.**

**"I don't know!" Hedge snarled...**

**"I'm stupid!" Leo scolded himself. "Stupid, stupid! I forgot the sonar!"**

**The ship tilted farther to starboard. Either the monster was trying to give them a hug, or it was about to capsize them.**

"We need to come up with a plan before it's too late." Annabeth said urgently. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest.

**"Sonar?" Hedge demanded. "Pan's pipes, Valdez! Maybe if you hadn't been staring into Hazel's eyes, holding hands for so long—"**

**_"What?"_ ** **Frank yelped.**

Despite the situation, Aphrodite couldn't help but giggle.

"Here we go..." Will groaned.

**"It wasn't like that!" Hazel protested.**

"We're running out of time!" Annabeth said impatiently.

**"It doesn't matter!" Piper said. "Jason, can you call some lightning?"**

**Jason struggled to his feet. "I—" He only managed to shake his head. Summoning the storm earlier had taken too much out of him. Leo doubted the poor guy could pop a spark plug in the shape he was in.**

"Of course," Thalia groaned, tightly gripping her bow.

Leo searched through his tool belt and pulled out a pen. He tapped it on the side of his chair.

**"Percy!" Annabeth said. "Can you** **_talk_ ** **to that thing? Do you know what it is?"**

**The son of the sea god shook his head, clearly mystified. "Maybe it's just curious about the ship. Maybe—"**

**The monster's tendrils lashed across the deck so fast, Leo didn't even have time to yell,** **_Look out!_ **

The readers froze, breaths hitching.

**One slammed Percy in the chest and sent him crashing down the steps.**

"Percy!" Poseidon cried out in alarm.

Annabeth gasped and squeezed her necklace.

"I'm fine! I'm right here!" Percy was quick to assure, but he winced thinking about just how much that would hurt.

**Another wrapped around Piper's legs and dragged her, screaming, toward the rail.**

The Aphrodite cabin went up in an uproar.

"The nose hairs got Piper!" Lacy wailed hysterically.

The goddess of love paled dramatically.

"Somebody do something!" Aphrodite shouted. "Cut them with a sword! Cut them with a sword!"

**Dozens more tendrils curled around the masts, encircling the crossbows and ripping down the rigging.**

"This is so disgusting!" an Aphrodite girl said, her face turning pale and green at the same time. "Why nose hairs? Why do they have to be nose hairs?"

"Stupid Keto, I hope she has a splitting headache." Thalia snarled, tensely waiting for what happened next.

**"Nose-hair attack!" Hedge snatched up his bat and leaped into action; but his hits just bounced harmlessly off the tendrils.**

"That's not sharp enough!" Aphrodite snapped. "Get a _sword!_ Somebody save my baby!"

**Jason drew his sword. He tried to free Piper, but he was still weak. His gold blade cut through the tendrils with no problem, but faster than he could sever them, more took their place.**

Aphrodite and her children whimpered in distress.

Thalia grimaced.

**Annabeth unsheathed her dagger. She ran through the forest of tentacles, dodging and stabbing at whatever target she could find.**

Percy and Athena felt a sense of relief that she hadn't been caught.

**Frank pulled out his bow. He fired over the side at the creature's body, lodging arrows in the chinks of its shell; but that only seemed to annoy the monster.**

Sitting sideways on his throne, with his legs hanging on one side of his armrest and his head resting on the other,  Ares rolled his eyes. "You'll have to do better than that."

**It bellowed, and rocked the ship. The mast creaked like it might snap off.**

The readers gasped.

Leo drew on his arm.

**...Leo's eyes fixed on a supply crate next to Hazel's feet.**

**"Hazel!" he yelled. "That box! Open it!"**

**She hesitated, then saw the box he meant. The label read WARNING. DO NOT OPEN.**

"Just do it! Hurry!" Aphrodite pressed.

**"Open it!" Leo yelled again. "Coach, take the wheel! Turn us toward the monster, or we'll capsize."**

**Hedge danced through the tentacles with his nimble goat hooves, smashing away with gusto. He** **bounded toward the helm and took the controls.**

**"Hope you got a plan!" he shouted.**

**"A bad one." Leo raced toward the mast.**

"I don't care! Just get those _disgusting_ nose hairs off my Piper!" Aphrodite said tearfully. She sniffled.

"We don't have anything better anyway." Percy said.

**The monster pushed against the Argo II. The deck lurched to forty-five degrees. Despite everyone's efforts, the tentacles were just too numerous to fight. They seemed able to elongate as much as they wanted. Soon they'd have the Argo II completely entangled. Percy hadn't appeared from below. The others were fighting for their lives against nose hair.**

"You can't make this up, this is actually happening..." Apollo said, listening in morbid fascination.

"If I didn't know that this book was telling the future, I wouldn't believe this ever will happen to me." Percy stated.

"This is a nightmare..." Annabeth pinched the bridge of her nose.

**"Frank!" Leo called as he ran toward Hazel. "Buy us some time! Can you turn into a shark or something?"**

**Frank glanced over, scowling; and in that moment a tentacle slammed into the big guy, knocking him overboard.**

Ares nearly fell out of his chair with how quickly he sat up. His jaw dropped in sheer disbelief and worry. His eyes wide as dinner plates. _Did that thing just-_

Poseidon's face visibly paled.

The others panicked in a frenzy.

 _"FRANK!"_ the demigods shouted, so loud that Leo jumped in surprise. The careful doodle on his arm now ruined with a giant jagged ink line.

"It's okay! He's fine! I promise!" Leo shouted back, taking in the other's frazzled appearances. _Do they realize this hasn't happened yet?_ "Everyone is fine! _Geez!"_

That calmed everyone down, enough for a collective sigh of relief.

It didn't last long however. The readers listened to Hera continue reading, hanging of the edge of their seats.

Leo watched their actions with a fond roll of his eyes.

**Hazel screamed. She'd opened the supply box and almost dropped the two glass vials she was holding.**

**Leo caught them. Each was the size of an apple, and the liquid inside glowed poisonous green. The glass was warm to the touch.**

Annabeth's eyes widened in realization.

"Is that _Greek fire?!"_ she exclaimed. "Are you crazy?! If you throw it at Shrimpzilla, you could possibly set the ship on fire!"

"That's why this was a bad plan," Leo reminded. Seeing her glare, he hastily added. "I'm going to aim the fire into Shrimpzilla's mouth!"

Hephaestus and his siblings tensed.

"And... how exactly do you plan on doing that?" the god was afraid to hear the answer.

Leo shifted in his chair. "Well, I was _hoping_ to climb up the port rail and throw it from there but..." he  trailed off and frowned.

Before Hephaestus could press his son to continue, Hera read on.

 **Leo's chest felt like it might implode from guilt. He'd just distracted Frank and possibly gotten him killed,** **but he couldn't think about it.**

Ares/Mars glared daggers at the demigod. _He's lucky he's still alive..._

**He had to save the ship.**

"And my friends!" Leo was nervously quick to add. He didn't want them to think he cared more about the ship like Frank had.

**"Come on!" He handed Hazel one of the vials. "We can kill the monster—and save Frank!**

**...Getting to the port rail was more like rock climbing than walking, but finally they made it.**

**"What is this stuff?" Hazel gasped, cradling her glass vial.**

**"Greek fire!"**

**Her eyes widened. "Are you crazy? If these break, we'll burn the whole ship!"**

**"Its mouth!" Leo said. "Just chuck it down its—"**

**Suddenly Leo was crushed against Hazel, and the world turned sideways. As they were lifted into the air, he realized they'd been wrapped together in a tentacle.**

Hades and Hephaestus stiffened.

" _Really?"_ Nico said in exasperation, throwing his hands up in the air.

Nyssa swore under her breath as Jake sat rigid in his chair.

Aphrodite normally would've cackled at the position Leo and Hazel were in, but she was too worried about Piper. She hadn't been mentioned in awhile. Was she still trapped or did Jason manage to free her?

**Leo's arms were free, but it was all he could do to keep hold of his Greek fire vial. Hazel struggled. Her arms were pinned, which meant at any moment the vial trapped between them might break...and that would be extremely bad for their health.**

Hephaestus winced.

"Not funny." Nico said with a scowl.

"Sorry." Leo said, twirling his pen.

**They rose ten feet, twenty feet, thirty feet above the monster. Leo caught a glimpse of his friends in a losing battle, yelling and slashing at the monster's nose hairs.**

The readers grimaced.

"I can't believe this is happening..." Percy trailed off.

"We're barely doing anything to it..." Annabeth said. _This monster is practically_ _indestructible_ _._

**He saw Coach Hedge struggling to keep the ship from capsizing. The sea was dark, but in the moonlight he thought he saw a glistening object floating near the monster—maybe the unconscious body of Frank Zhang.**

Ares gave a small wince. He crossed his arms and slumped in his throne, pretending the description didn't bother him.

**"Leo," Hazel gasped, "I can't—my arms—"**

**"Hazel," he said. "Do you trust me?"**

**"No!"**

Leo laughed. "That's fair!"

His laughter was met with frustrated glares.

 _How can he laugh at a time like this?_ Annabeth thought, wrapping the chain of her necklace around her finger.

**"Me neither," Leo admitted. "When this thing drops us, hold your breath. Whatever you do, try to chuck your vial as far away from the ship as possible."**

"How will it drop you?" Katie asked nervously.

**Leo stared down at the monster's head. This would be a tough shot, but he had no choice. He raised the vial in his left hand. He pressed his right hand against the tentacle and summoned fire to his palm—a narrowly focused, white-hot burst.**

Hera nodded her head in approval.

Hephaestus wrung his hands nervously.

**That got the creature's attention. A tremble went all the way down the tentacle as its flesh** **blistered under Leo's touch. The monster raised its maw, bellowing in pain, and Leo threw his Greek fire straight down its throat.**

The readers held their breaths.

 **After that, things got fuzzy. Leo felt the tentacle release them. They fell. He heard a muffled** **explosion and saw a green flash of light inside the giant pink lampshade of the monster's body.**

 **The** **water hit Leo's face like a brick wrapped in sandpaper, and he sank into darkness.**

Nyssa, Jake, and their father grimaced.

 **He clamped his** **mouth shut, trying not to breathe, but he could feel himself losing consciousness.**

Hephaestus winced.

**Through the sting of the salt water, he thought he saw the hazy silhouette of the ship's hull above—a dark oval surrounded by a green fiery corona, but he couldn't tell if the ship was actually on fire.**

The readers gasped.

The demigods' eyes widened. A few listened with grim expressions.

"Oh my gods," Nyssa whispered. _All that hard work, going up in flames..._

Jake buried his face in his hands. He was afraid this was going to happen.

Not meeting their eyes, Leo capped and uncapped his pen.

"Maybe the fire isn't that bad..." Katie said weakly in an attempt to appear hopeful.

**Killed by a giant shrimp, Leo thought bitterly.**

"That would've been a pretty lame way to go." Leo mentioned. He panned his hand across the room. "Here lies Leo 'Flaming' Valdez: Killed by Shrimpzilla."

"Definitely not a story you'd want to tell new demigods before they go on a quest." Percy said. He could only imagine what their reactions would be, they'd probably lock themselves in the cabins and never come out. If a giant shrimp can kill you, who knows what other insane creatures are out to get you?

**_At least let the Argo II survive. Let my friends be okay._ **

**Just as he was about to give up, a strange face hovered over him—**

The readers perked up.

**a man who looked like Chiron, their trainer back at Camp Half-Blood. He had the same curly hair, shaggy beard, and intelligent eyes—a look somewhere between wild hippie and fatherly professor, except this man's skin was the color of a lima bean.**

The demigods blinked in confusion.

Poseidon's eyes lit up in recognition.

"Is that one of Chiron's brothers?" Percy asked with a frown.

"It has to be," Annabeth said, crossing her arms. "But I've never heard of this guy before..."

"That's Bythos," the god of the sea explained. "He and his brother, Aphros, are ichthyocentaurs who trained the greatest heroes ever to exist under the sea. Triton being one of them," he added with pride in his voice.

Noticing the eye roll from Percy, Poseidon shifted in his throne and awkwardly cleared his throat. "Er... Anyway, Frank, Leo, and Hazel should be safe under their care, as long as they stay on the two's good side."

Poseidon sniffed. "They have a very... _particular_ way of running things in their territory."

 _"Great..."_   Annabeth couldn't help but grumble. "Just what we need, help from two strict ichthyocentaurs..." She just hoped Chiron never brought them up simply because she never asked. She would hate to learn that they have some grudge against the centaur or worse, grudge against land-dwellers.

"I should've gone with them, I bet I would've been helpful in convincing them to help us." Percy muttered. He was the son of Poseidon, it was kinda his thing.

**The man silently held up a dagger. His expression was grim and reproachful, as if to say:** **_Now, hold still, or I can't kill you properly._ **

"Don't worry, that's how he usually looks," Poseidon assured, seeing Hephaestus' alarmed expression.

"That's unfortunate..." Aphrodite frowned, twirling a lock of her hair.

**Leo blacked out.**

**When Leo woke...he was floating** **weightlessly. His eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light.**

**"About time." Frank's voice had too much reverb, like he was speaking through several layers of plastic wrap.**

"They must be still under water." Percy observed.

"But how would they be able to breathe?" Annabeth wondered.

"Magic," Poseidon said. "They possibly created a thin layer of oxygen around their bodies for them to breathe. It's a common and fairly easy trick."

**Leo sat up...or rather he drifted upright. He was underwater, in a cave about the size of a two-car garage. Phosphorescent moss covered the ceiling, bathing the room in a blue-and-green glow. The floor was a carpet of sea urchins, which would have been uncomfortable to walk on, so Leo was glad he was floating...**

"Where are they?" Percy asked his father.

The god shrugged. "Hard to say, I haven't visited the ichthyocentaurs' territory in eons."

"Really?" Percy said, eyebrows furrowed. Hearing that his father avoided certain parts of the ocean was like hearing someone say they avoided going to certain parts of their house. His dad _owned_ the ocean, why would he avoid the icky-ich... _fish centaurs_ _'_ territory?

As if reading his thoughts, Poseidon said. "It's easier this way."

His answer left Percy with more questions than answers, but he didn't ask for details. He had a feeling Poseidon would continue to be as vague as possible.

**Frank levitated nearby in meditation position. With his chubby face and his grumpy expression, he looked like a Buddha who'd achieved enlightenment and wasn't thrilled about it.**

The Stolls snickered.

**The only exit to the cave was blocked by a massive abalone shell—its surface glistening in pearl and rose and turquoise. If this cave was a prison, at least it had an awesome door.**

"It's the little things that count!" Travis laughed.

"Better than my last prison," Percy mentioned offhandedly.

Hades shrugged. "What's the point in making a door when I don't want you to escape?"

Poseidon gave him a sour look.

**"Where are we?" Leo asked. "Where is everyone else?"**

"Hopefully still on the ship." Annabeth said.

**_"Everyone?"_ ** **Frank grumbled. "I don't know. As far as I can tell, it's just you and me and Hazel down here. The fish-horse guys took Hazel about an hour ago, leaving me with you."**

"Probably to hear her side of the story," Annabeth muttered.

**Frank's tone made it obvious he didn't approve of those arrangements. He didn't look injured, but Leo realized that he no longer had his bow or quiver. In a panic, Leo patted his waist. His tool belt was gone.**

**"They searched us," Frank said. "Took anything that could be a weapon."**

**"Who?" Leo demanded. "Who are these fish-horse—?"**

**"Fish-horse guys," Frank clarified, which wasn't very clear. "They must have grabbed us when we fell in the ocean and dragged us...wherever this is."**

**Leo remembered the last thing he'd seen before he passed out—the lima-bean-colored face of the bearded man with the dagger. "The shrimp monster. The Argo II—is the ship okay?"**

"And everyone," Leo made a point to add. "When I said the ship I meant that as a general thing."

He shifted uncomfortably, buttoning his jacket.

**"I don't know," Frank said darkly. "The others might be in trouble or hurt, or—or worse. But I guess you care more about your ship than your friends."**

Leo winced.

The son of Hephaestus avoided eye contact with everyone.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it, he's still angry about you and Hazel holding hands," Katie frowned. "You should explain the situation to him."

"I did..." Leo brushed his hair back. He still couldn't help but feel there was a truth to Frank's words. He did have a tendency to ask about the ship first before people and it worried him how much it was like his father.

**[Leo]..."What kind of stupid thing—?"**

**Then he realized why Frank was so angry: the flashback...Coach Hedge had made that stupid comment about Leo and Hazel holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes. It probably hadn't helped that Leo had gotten Frank knocked overboard right after that.**

**Suddenly Leo found it hard to meet Frank's gaze.**

**"Look, man...I'm sorry I got us into this mess. I totally jacked things up." He took a deep breath, which felt surprisingly normal, considering he was underwater. "Me and Hazel holding hands...it's not what you think. She was showing me this flashback from her past, trying to figure out my connection with Sammy."**

**Frank's angry expression started to unknot, replaced by curiosity. "Did she...did you figure it out?"**

"I guess..." Leo helplessly shrugged. "We could've found out a lot sooner and without the stupid misunderstanding if she had just asked for my last name."

He frowned thoughtfully. "I think I mentioned it a couple times when I was tricking Narcissus too. We could've had this whole thing figured out if we had just talked about it."

He heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes.

**He told Frank what they'd seen. The weirdness hadn't fully registered yet, but now, trying to explain it aloud, Leo could hardly believe it.**

"I still can't believe it to be honest," Leo admitted, drumming his pen on his knee.

**Hazel had been sweet on his** **_bisabuelo_ ** **, a guy who had died when Leo was a baby. Leo hadn't made the connection before, but he had a vague memory of older family members calling his grandfather Sam Junior. Which meant Sam Senior was Sammy, Leo's bisabuelo. At some point, Tía Callida—Hera herself—had talked with Sammy, consoling him and giving him a glimpse into the future, which meant that Hera had been shaping Leo's life generations before he was even born.**

"That's not creepy at all," Leo said sarcastically.

"You can't spend one minute without meddling in someone's life, can you?" Hephaestus sneered.

Hera glared at the god. "'Meddling'! Really? I raised your son and trained him to become a warrior!"

"Some warrior, I don't even have a sword." Leo grumbled. Hera ignored him and continued her rant.

"Not only that, I also went out my way to comfort Sammy by showing him that his descendent will one day right his wrong. I didn't have to do that. I could've continued my plan without telling him. I honestly did him a favor!"

"Some favor, you let him believe that him picking up the diamond was the reason Hazel vanished." Annabeth pointed out with a scowl.

"Trust me," the goddess said. "Him believing that is better than him knowing the truth."

The demigods' heads snapped up to look at her.

Annabeth glared. "How in the world is that better?"

"It's a long story," Hades said firmly. The look on his face made it clear that the discussion of the current topic was over.

The demigods (except Nico who was silently relieved) exchanged confused looks as Hera continued reading.

**If Hazel had stayed in the 1940s, if she'd married Sammy, Leo might've been her great-grandson.**

"Don't remind me," Leo shuddered. That thought alone was enough to make his stomach queasy. He tried to push that reminder to the back of his mind and drew a smiley face on his finger.

**Frank had the same expression as the monster catfish head—wide glassy eyes and an open mouth. "Hazel...Hazel liked your great-grandfather? That's why she likes you?"**

"I mean I'd like to think it had something to do with my personality, but since we're basically the same person... Yeah pretty much." Leo forced himself to laugh.

"This sounds like something straight out of a Greek myth..." Chris muttered, still wrapping around Leo's relationship with Hazel. _How can this all happen to one person?_

**"Frank, I know this is weird.** **_Believe me._ ** **But I don't like Hazel—not that way. I'm not moving in on your girl."**

"I don't even know what I was trying to do..." Leo muttered to himself. He and Hazel should've just figured things out from the start.

**Frank knit his eyebrows. "No?"**

**Leo hoped he wasn't blushing. Truthfully, he had no idea how he felt about Hazel. She was awesome and cute, and Leo had a weakness for awesome cute girls.**

Aphrodite giggled.

 _As if getting kissed and cuddled by my abuelito wasn't embarrassing enough..._ Leo inwardly groaned.

**But the flashback had complicated his feelings a** **_lot._ **

Leo shook his head.

**Besides, his ship was in trouble.**

_Di immortales! Can I just_ _shut up_ _about the ship for two freaking seconds!_ Leo thought angrily. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot. _When's this chapter going to be over?_

**_I guess you care more about your ship than your friends,_ ** **Frank had said.**

Leo bit his lip.

"We know that's not true," Percy assured. "Frank was only trying to make you upset."

Leo gave a halfhearted nod. "I know, but he wouldn't have said that if I had asked about the others more than I had with the _Argo II._ It's not that I didn't care it's just..." he tried to find the words but failed. He huffed his frustration and brushed his hair back.

"Better to think about the ship, than worry about what could be happening to your friends?" Jake supplied.

"Yeah," Leo said, shoulders slumping. At least someone understood him. But then again, who better to understand him than another child of Hephaestus?

**That wasn't true, was it?**

"No, it's just... people have their own way with dealing with things..." Nyssa awkwardly comforted.

**Leo's dad, Hephaestus, had admitted once that he wasn't good with organic life forms. And, yes, Leo had always been more comfortable with machines than people. But he did care about his friends. Piper and Jason...he'd known them the longest, but the others were important to him too. Even Frank. They were like family.**

Annabeth and Percy smiled at him.

**The problem was, it had been so long since Leo had** **_had_ ** **a family, he couldn't even remember how it felt.**

"We'll make sure to jog your memory," the daughter of Athena reassured.

"It can't be too hard, we already got the family reunion thing down..." Connor mused, looking around at all the demigods and gods present.

**Sure, last winter he'd become senior counselor of Hephaestus cabin; but most of his time had been spent building the ship. He liked his cabin mates. He knew how to work with them—but did he really know them?**

Nyssa and Jake shifted uncomfortably.

"Not really. Not with all the time you spent in the Bunker," Nyssa sighed. "And we didn't make an effort to make you feel included either." _We should've done more..._

"There's still time to fix it," Will reminded. "You guys are already bonding now. And with Present Leo spending _less_ time in Bunker Nine," he gave Leo a meaningful glance. "You guys will have plenty of time for getting to know each other."

The Hephaestus children looked more hopeful hearing that.

**..."Right, so..." He looked around him. "We need to make a plan. How are we breathing? If we're under the ocean, shouldn't we be crushed by the water pressure?"**

**Frank shrugged. "Fish-horse magic, I guess. I remember the green guy touching my head with the point of a dagger. Then I could breathe."**

**Leo studied the abalone door. "Can you bust us out? Turn into a hammerhead shark or something?"**

**Frank shook his head glumly. "My shape-shifting doesn't work.**

The readers worriedly frowned.

 **I don't know why. Maybe they** **cursed me, or maybe I'm too messed up to focus."**

"It must be because he's too agitated," Poseidon said. "They should have sensed his shapeshifting abilities, but they have no possible way of repressing it."

**"Hazel could be in trouble," Leo said. "We've got to get out of here."**

**He swam to the door and ran his fingers along the abalone. He couldn't feel any kind of latch or other mechanism. Either the door could only be opened by magic or sheer force was required—neither of which was Leo's specialty.**

"Magic does its own thing," Leo complained. "There's no real formula or tools to deconstruct it."

"But it's very helpful in machinery," Nyssa pointed out. "Festus wouldn't be able to do half the things he can do without some form of magic. And using magic as a power source saves time and materials."

**"I've already tried," Frank said. "Even if we get out, we have no weapons."**

**"Hmm..." Leo held up his hand. "I wonder."**

**He concentrated, and fire flickered over his fingers...Then his plan started working a little too well. Fire raced up his arm and over his body until he was completely shrouded in a thin veil of flame. He tried to breathe, but he was inhaling pure heat.**

_Just calm down,_ Hera silently coached.

**"Leo!" Frank flailed backward like he was falling off a bar stool. Instead of racing to Leo's aid, he hugged the wall to get as far away as possible.**

"To be fair, any other person would've had the same reaction." Will said.

"It did happen suddenly" Hestia agreed.

"Yeah, I should've gave him a warning." Leo agreed, twirling his pen.

**Leo forced himself to stay calm. He understood what was going on. The fire itself couldn't hurt him. He willed the flames to die and counted to five. He took a shallow breath. He had oxygen again.**

**[Frank]... "You're...you're okay?"**

**"Yeah," Leo grumbled. "Thanks for the assist."**

**"I—I'm sorry." Frank looked so horrified and ashamed it was hard for Leo to stay mad at him. "I just...what happened?"**

**"Clever magic," Leo said. "There's a thin layer of oxygen around us, like an extra skin. Must be self-regenerating. That's how we're breathing and staying dry. The oxygen gave the fire fuel—except the fire also suffocated me."**

"So I'm not doing that again," Leo mentioned.

**"I really don't..." Frank gulped..."I don't like that fire summoning you do."**

**Leo didn't mean to, but he couldn't help laughing. "Man, I'm not going to attack you."**

**"Fire," Frank repeated, like that one word explained everything.**

**Leo remembered what Hazel had said—that his fire made Frank nervous. He'd seen the** **discomfort in Frank's face before, but Leo hadn't taken it seriously. Frank seemed way more powerful and scary than Leo was.**

**Now it occurred to him that Frank might have had a bad experience with fire.**

Annabeth frowned in consideration.

"I assumed it was because of his Achilles Heel, but you have a point, he must have went through something to make him fear fire."

**Leo's own mom had died in a machine shop blaze. Leo had been blamed for it. He'd grown up being called a freak, an arsonist, because whenever he got angry, things burned.**

Hephaestus scowled.

 _How many times is this going to be brought up?_ Leo thought with a heavy sigh. He drew stars on his arm.

**"Sorry I laughed," he said, and he meant it. "My mom died in a fire. I understand being afraid of it. Did, uh...did something like that happen with you?"**

**Frank seemed to be weighing how much to say. "My house...my grandmother's place. It burned down. But it's more than that..."**

The demigods looked at the book curiously.

**..."Annabeth said I could trust the crew. Even you."**

**"Even me, huh?" Leo wondered how that had come up in conversation. "Wow, high praise."**

**"My weakness..." Frank started, like the words cut his mouth. "There's this piece of firewood—"**

"Firewood?" Annabeth's eyebrows furrowed. "What does a piece of firewood have to do with-"

She froze. What Frank was about to say now slowly dawning on her. From the widening eyes of the others, it was clear they were coming to the same conclusion.

"Wait," Chris said slowly. "Is Frank's Achilles Heel the piece of wood? Is that why he's afraid of fire?"

"The fire at his grandmother's house didn't help," Leo said, brushing his hair back. "But yeah, that's why he reacted the way he did when he was around me."

"How is he not constantly paranoid?" Percy said in disbelief. It was one thing to have a hardly noticeable spot on your body as an Achilles Heel, but a piece of wood that can get lost or easily broken? If it were Percy, he would have never set foot on this quest, or out of his house really.

He felt his respect for the son of Mars go higher. Anybody who was willing to take that risk, definitely deserved some kind of medal.

"Does he have it on him right now?" Will asked, suddenly alert. "Wouldn't the water damage the wood?"

"Don't worry, it's safe." Leo told him, but the son of Apollo was hardly listening. If Frank was carrying around something as vulnerable as wood, he would need something to protect it.

 _It has to be durable for the quest. I doubt he would leave it in his room, so the container would need to be portable too. Something fire resistant, of course. And can withstand pressure. Maybe something with magical properties? Would Lou Ellen know of something like that?_ Will thought.

**The abalone door rolled open.**

**Leo turned and found himself face-to-face with Lima Bean Man, who wasn't actually a man at all. Now that Leo could see him clearly, the guy was by far the weirdest creature he'd ever met, and that was saying a lot.**

"Even weirder than the giant shrimp monster?" Lacy shuddered. "I didn't even think that was possible..."

"Me neither, but this guy was pretty bizarre." Leo said.

"If you think that about _his_ appearance, you've clearly haven't seen other mythical sea creatures," Poseidon said.

"If any of them are Keto's 'babies', I can't say I'm sad about it..." the son of Hephaestus muttered.

**From the waist up, he was more or less human—a thin, bare-chested dude with a dagger in his belt and a band of seashells strapped across his chest like a bandolier. His skin was green, his beard scraggly brown, and his longish hair was tied back in a seaweed bandana.**

**A pair of lobster claws stuck up from his head like horns, turning and snapping at random.**

"Wow, this guy would fit right in with the giants and their abnormal features." Chris remarked.

"Especially Porky with his crab walk," Travis grinned.

"Don't let them hear you say that." Poseidon warned.

**Leo decided he didn't look so much like Chiron. He looked more like the poster Leo's mom used to keep in her workspace—that old Mexican bandit Pancho Villa, except with seashells and lobster horns.**

Nyssa, Chris, and Leo shared smiles, the rest of the demigods just stared blankly at them.

"It's a history thing," was all the son of Hermes explained.

**From the waist down, the guy was more complicated. He had the forelegs of a blue-green horse, sort of like a centaur, but toward the back, his horse body morphed into a long fishy tail about ten feet long, with a rainbow-colored, V-shaped tail fin.**

**Now Leo understood what Frank meant about fish-horse guys.**

**"I am Bythos," said the green man. "I will interrogate Frank Zhang."**

"Always to the point," Poseidon grumbled under his breath. "No 'hello' or 'I see you are awake', just jumping right into the interrogation."

**..."Why did you capture us?" Leo demanded. "Where's Hazel?"**

Poseidon looked surprised by the boy's bluntness. Due to their reputation (and appearance), people were dumbfounded the first time they meet the two.

 _I can only imagine the look on Bythos' face._ the god of the sea chuckled.

**Bythos narrowed his eyes. His expression seemed to say:** **_Did this tiny creature just talk to me?_ **

The demigods snickered.

**"You, Leo Valdez, will go with my brother."**

**"Your brother?"**

**Leo realized that a much larger figure was looming behind Bythos, with a shadow so wide, it filled the entire cave entrance.**

The demigods tensed.

**"Yes," Bythos said with a dry smile. "Try not to make Aphros mad."**

Poseidon snorted. "Good luck." _You're going to need it._

"That's the end of the chapter," Hera said.

"I'll read next," Poseidon said, taking the book.

" **Leo XXIV** ," he read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked the chapter! :)


	24. Leo XXIV

" **Leo XXIV** ," Poseidon read.

**APHROS LOOKED LIKE HIS BROTHER, except he was blue instead of green and much, much bigger. He had Arnold-as-Terminator abs and arms, and a square, brutish head...Even his hair was bigger—a massive globe of blue-black frizz so thick that his lobster-claw horns appeared to be drowning as they tried to swim their way to the surface.** Poseidon grinned as he read the last part.

_I guess he's the one who teaches physical combat._ Percy thought.

**"Is that why they named you Aphros?" Leo asked as they glided down the path from the cave.** **"Because of the Afro?"** Poseidon's eyebrows furrowed at that. _What?_

"Who asks that?" Travis said with a laugh.

"I was just trying to break the ice," Leo explained with a grin.

"Neither of the two are good with jokes. Trust me, I tried." the god of the sea said, rolling his eyes.

Percy made a face. He could only imagine what kind of 'funny' jokes his dad told to get on the fish centaurs good side.

_Maybe that's why he doesn't go to their territory._ he thought. _He told so many lame jokes that they told him to never come back._

**Aphros scowled. "What do you mean?"**

**"Nothing," Leo said quickly..."So what** **_are_ ** **you guys, exactly?"**

**"Ichthyocentaurs," Aphros said, like it was a question he was tired of answering.**

**"Uh, icky what?"**

**"Fish centaurs. We are the half brothers of Chiron."**

**"Oh, he's a friend of mine!"**

**Aphros narrowed his eyes. "The one called Hazel told us this, but we will determine the truth. Come."**

"And how's he going to do that?" Annabeth asked, feeling uneasy.

The demigods dreaded finding out.

**Leo didn't like the sound of** **_determine the truth._ ** **It made him think of torture racks and red-hot pokers.**

Hestia looked aghast.

"You think they would do that to children?!" she exclaimed.

Tucking his pen behind his ear, Leo shrugged. "I've had monsters who possessed my body, turned me into gold, tried to eat me, and slash me into pieces. I've never been tortured before, but it's not off the table."

_Fates..._ Hephaestus thought, face paling. The thought of any of his children being tortured made him feel sick, so for Leo to have mentioned this as a future possibility made his stomach lurch.

He busied himself with a few lose screws that materialized in his palm.

**He followed the fish centaur through a massive forest of kelp. Leo could've darted to one side and gotten lost in the plants pretty easily, but he didn't try. For one thing, he figured Aphros could travel much faster in the water, and the guy might be able to shut off the magic that let Leo move and breathe. Inside or outside the cave, Leo was just as much a captive.**

"What a happy thought," Nico said dryly, his voice not betraying the current anxiety he was feeling. He twisted his skull ring and bounced his knee. He couldn't help but remember that they took Hazel and she never came back to the boys' prison. Where did she go? Was she still being interrogated?

_I hope she's alright._ Nico let out a shaky sigh.

**Also, Leo had no clue where he was.**

Travis laughed nervously.

**They drifted between rows of kelp as tall as apartment buildings...High above, Leo saw a smudge of white that might have been the sun.**

**He guessed that meant they'd been here overnight.**

_Another day Nico's still trapped..._ Will thought grimly. Shoulders slumping forward, the son of Apollo rubbed his temples.

For a moment, he couldn't help but feel angry at Nico. What was he thinking? Why would he have gone to look for the Doors of Death by himself?! None of this would've happened if he had gone with someone! They would've watched his back!

Will suddenly remembered the times the others called Nico creepy, the way the boy reacted when Percy yelled at him, and how he shrank back in his chair as the others teased him about his crush on Annabeth.

He winced.

_Maybe he didn't bring anyone because he felt that he couldn't..._ Will realized. _Hazel was busy with her own quest and people tend to avoid him, maybe Nico felt that he couldn't rely on anyone..._

_But that's stupid!_ he argued with himself. _He could've asked me!_

The instant that thought occured to him, Will face palmed.

He didn't notice the looks Chris and Jake were making at his actions.

_Sure Solace,_ _of course_ _he would know to come to you for help._ _You_ _. The guy he barely knows, barely talks to, and might not even be interested in because he apparently likes Annabeth. You would_ _totally_ _be his first choice as a traveling companion._ he thought sarcastically.

Will huffed and brushed his hair back.

_Well I'll convince him to take me! I'm a very convincing guy and I'm the best person to have come. I have medical training, am skilled at archery, and an execellent conversationist! Once he hears the reasons why he should take me, he'll want me to come._ he thought positively. He nodded to himself. _He'll have to. I won't take 'no' for an answer._

"Hey, are you okay?" Chris finally asked, weirded out by the other's actions.

Will snapped out of his one-sided conversation and blinked at him.

"Huh? Yeah, why?"

Jake and Chris exchanged bewildered expressions.

"No reason."

Will frowned at them for a moment, but focused his attention back on the reading.

**Was the Argo II all right? Had it sailed on without them, or were their friends still searching?**

"Of course we're looking for you!" Percy told Leo, disbelief and hurt can be heard in his voice. "We wouldn't just up and leave you guys!"

"If we're not trying to stop the ship from sinking..." Annabeth said, grimacing as she recalled the state the _Argo II_ was currently in.

**Leo couldn't even be sure how deep they were. Plants could grow here—so not too deep, right? Still, he knew he couldn't just swim for the surface. He'd heard about people who ascended too quickly and developed nitrogen bubbles in their blood. Leo wanted to avoid carbonated blood.**

The readers winced.

_Why are humans so fragile?_ Hephaestus thought tiredly, squeezing his screws. The screws began to sizzle in his grip.

"The magic should prevent that from happening," Poseidon assured, although he wasn't entirely sure who: Leo or his father?

**...Finally the kelp forest opened up. Leo gasped. They were standing (swimming, whatever) at the summit of a high underwater hill. Below them stretched an entire town of Greek-style buildings on the seafloor.**

**The roofs were tiled with mother-of-pearl. The gardens were filled with coral and sea anemones. Hippocampi grazed in a field of seaweed. A team of Cyclopes was placing the domed roof on a new temple, using a blue whale as a crane. And swimming through the streets, hanging out in the courtyards, practicing combat with tridents and swords in the arena were dozens of mermen and mermaids—honest-to-goodness fish-people.**

The demigods listened to the description with wide eyes and slack jaws. Even Percy, who had visited his father's kingdom, was listening in awe. He hadn't had the chance to truly appreciate the underwater world, he still could hardly believe places like this existed without the mortals ever knowing.

The gods watched their reactions with amusement.

**Leo had seen a lot of crazy stuff, but he had always thought merpeople were silly fictional creatures, like Smurfs or Muppets.** Poseidon snorted.

"Don't believe everything you see on TV," the god said. "Merpeople are the most fearsome creatures of the sea." He puffed out his chest in pride as he said this.

**There was nothing silly or cute about these merpeople, though. Even from a distance, they looked fierce and not at all human. Their eyes glowed yellow. They had sharklike teeth and leathery skin in colors ranging from coral red to ink black.**

The demigods shuddered.

"So not like the Little Mermaid..." Connor said.

"Absolutely not." Poseidon confirmed.

**"It's a training camp," Leo realized. He looked at Aphros in awe. "You train heroes, the same way Chiron does?"**

**Aphros nodded, a glint of pride in his eyes. "We have trained all the famous mer-heroes! Name a mer-hero, and we have trained him or her!"**

**"Oh, sure," Leo said. "Like...um, the Little Mermaid?"**

Hermes, Apollo, and the Stolls laughed.

Poseidon rolled his eyes.

**Aphros frowned. "Who? No! Like Triton, Glaucus, Weissmuller, and Bill!"** Poseidon practically boasted as he read the names. He couldn't help but smirk as he noticed that his son was mentioned.

**"Oh." Leo had no idea who any of those people were.**

Poseidon stared at the boy in disbelief.

"Not even Triton?" he said.

Leo frowned and scratched his head.

"Wait..." he said. Now that Leo thought about it, he actually had heard that name _somewhere_. "Wasn't Triton Ariel's dad from the Little Mermai-"

"No!" the god of the sea snapped. The others laughing at his frustration. "The _real_ Triton."

"Oh. No idea." Leo shrugged. He continued playing with the screws he pulled out his tool belt.

_You're not missing out._ Percy thought, still chuckling.

_What does Chiron teach these children?_ Poseidon thought, pinching the bridge of his nose. He needed a moment to recollect himself before he continued reading.

**"You trained Bill? Impressive."**

"He is very talented." Poseidon admitted, still put out by Leo's earlier remark.

**"Indeed!" Aphros pounded his chest. "I trained Bill myself. A great merman."**

**"You teach combat, I guess."**

"Obviously," Clarisse rolled her eyes. "The huge muscles and the big sword didn't tip you off?"

**Aphros threw up his hands in exasperation. "Why does everyone assume that?"**

Clarisse and a few other demigods blinked.

"Wait, what?" Percy frowned. "You mean he's _not_ the combat teacher?"

"Then... what does he teach?" Katie asked.

**..."I teach music and poetry!" Aphros said. "Life skills! Homemaking! These are important for heroes."**

Now the demigods looked at the book in disbelief.

"Well, he's not wrong." Apollo said, beaming. "Only the best heroes know good poetry!"

"And nothing's more important than being able to take care of yourself!" Aphrodite added. "Can't save the world, if you died from your own cooking!"

"It's a shame they are such underrated classes," Athena mentioned with a sigh.

**"Absolutely." Leo tried to keep a straight face. "Sewing? Cookie baking?"**

**"Yes. I'm glad you understand. Perhaps later, if I don't have to kill you, I will share my brownie recipe."**

"How generous," Nico said flatly.

**[Aphros]... "My brother Bythos—he teaches combat."**

**Leo wasn't sure whether he felt relieved or insulted that the combat trainer was interrogating Frank, while Leo got the home economics teacher.**

"There's not much of a difference between the two," Will said. "But even if there was, I'm not sure why you'd want the combat teacher."

"It's less about that and more about how they saw me as the least intimidating." Leo said.

**"So, great. This is Camp...what do you call it?** C- Ca- **Camp** ** _Fish-Blood?"_** Poseidon read the last part out in between a sputter. Camp __________ was the best training camp in the sea! It was the crowning achievement of his kingdom! And this child had the nerve to call it _Camp Fish-Blood?!_

The affronted look on the god's face had everyone laughing, the gods especially, knowing how much Poseidon prided his army.

"I'm naming your palace that," Hermes promised.

"You will not!" Poseidon shouted.

**Aphros frowned. "I hope that was a joke. This is Camp __________." He made a sound that was a series of sonar pings and hisses.** The god of the sea said the training camp's name, perfecting the pronunciation.

"Uh... How do you spell that?" Apollo asked.

"The book doesn't say and there is no written translation for it that you would understand." Poseidon said before continuing to read.

**"Silly me," Leo said. "And, you know, I could really go for some of those brownies! So what do we have to do to get to the** **_not killing me_ ** **stage?"**

"You sound pretty laid-back for someone who's having their life threatened." Hermes mentioned with a chuckle.

"It's just another day of the week," Leo said casually. He kicked a screw across the room.

_It shouldn't be._ Hephaestus thought with a heavy sigh.

**"Tell me your story," Aphros said.**

**Leo hesitated, but not for long. Somehow he sensed that he should tell the truth.** Poseidon nodded his head. "A wise decision."

**He started at the beginning—how Hera had been his babysitter and placed him in the flames;**

Hera rolled her eyes. "This again?"

"Yes, _this again!"_ Hephaestus snapped.

"She has a point, we already know about this." Leo said, kicking another screw from foot to foot.

**how his mother had died because of Gaea, who had identified Leo as a future enemy.**

Leo bit his lip.

**...As he talked, Aphros drew some wicked-looking metal spikes from his belt.**

The demigods tensed.

**Leo was afraid he had said something wrong, but Aphros pulled some seaweed yarn from his pouch and started knitting.**

**"Go on," he urged. "Don't stop."**

"Seriously!" Travis laughed, his brother joining him.

**By the time Leo had explained the eidolons, the problem with the Romans, and all the troubles the Argo II had encountered crossing the United States and embarking from Charleston, Aphros had knitted a complete baby bonnet.**

"Must've been a long story," Apollo mused.

"This story was enough to make a chapter book," Artemis reminded.

Meanwhile, Aphrodite's eyes lit up with interest.

"You think he could knit sweaters just as fast?" she asked Poseidon. The god shrugged.

"I don't see why not."

**Leo waited while the fish centaur put away his supplies. Aphros's lobster-claw horns kept swimming around in his thick hair, and Leo had to resist the urge to try to rescue them.**

"Pretty sure they'd snap you if you tried," Nyssa pointed out over Hermes and the Stolls' laughter.

**"Very well," Aphros said. "I believe you."**

"Really? Just like that?" Percy blinked.

"Maybe he can sense emotions like I can," Grover suggested.

**"I am quite good at discerning lies. I hear none from you. Your story also fits with what Hazel Levesque told us."**

**"Is she—?"**

**"Of course," Aphros said. "She's fine."**

Nico let out a silent sigh of relief.

**..."My people will bring her here shortly. You** **must understand...our location is a carefully guarded secret. You and your friends showed up in a** **warship, pursued by one of Keto's sea monsters. We did not know whose side you were on."**

"That's fair," Annabeth admitted.

**"Is the ship all right?"**

**"Damaged," Aphros said, "but not terribly.**

"Better than nothing," Jake said.

**The skolopendra withdrew after it got a mouthful of fire. Nice touch."**

**"Thank you. Skolopendra? Never heard of it."**

**"Consider yourself lucky. They are nasty creatures.**

"Wait, _they?_ There's more of those things?!" Aphrodite exclaimed.

"Plenty, I have to send my best hunters after them to prevent overpopulation." Poseidon said.

"The ocean's a scary place..." Mitchell shuddered.

**Keto must really hate you. At any rate, we rescued you and the other two from the creature's tentacles as it retreated into the deep. Your friends are still above, searching for you; but we have obscured their vision. We had to be sure you were not a threat. Otherwise, we would have had to...** **_take measures."_ **

The demigods winced.

"Glad we could avoid that," Leo said. He tossed a screw up in the air before catching it.

**Leo gulped. He was pretty sure** **_taking measures_ ** **did not mean baking extra brownies. And if these guys were so powerful that they could keep their camp hidden from Percy, who had all those Poseidonish water powers, they were not fish dudes to mess with.**

"They're a force to be reckoned with," Poseidon said.

**"So...we can go?"**

**"Soon," Aphros promised. "I must check with Bythos. When he is done talking with your friend Gank—"** Poseidon sighed. _Really?_

**"Frank."**

**"Frank. When they are done, we will send you back to your ship. And we may have some warnings for you."**

**"Warnings?"**

**"Ah." Aphros pointed. Hazel emerged from the kelp forest, escorted by two vicious-looking mermaids, who were baring their fangs and hissing. Leo thought Hazel might be in danger. Then he saw she was completely at ease, grinning and talking with her escorts, and Leo realized that the mermaids were laughing.**

Nico smiled.

The other demigods made faces.

"Everything I thought I knew about mermaids has been a lie," Lacy said, still processing the information.

"A _marketable_ lie, brought to you by our Supreme Overlord Disney!" Travis said in his best salesman voice.

**"Leo!" Hazel paddled toward him. "Isn't this place amazing?"** _Glad someone appreciates it._ Poseidon thought.

**They were left alone at the ridge, which must have meant Aphros really did trust them. While the centaur and the mermaids went off to fetch Frank, Leo and Hazel floated above the hill and gazed down at the underwater camp.**

**Hazel told him how the mermaids had warmed up to her right away.**

_Of course._ Nico thought with a small grin.

**Aphros and Bythos had been fascinated by her story, as they had never met a child of Pluto before. On top of that, they had heard many legends about the horse Arion, and they were amazed that Hazel had befriended him.**

**Hazel had promised to visit again with Arion.** Poseidon beamed. "An excellent idea! They should stop by at the palace on their way." It's been a while since he last seen his son. He missed him, swearing and all.

**The mermaids had written their phone numbers in waterproof ink on Hazel's arm so that she could keep in touch. Leo didn't even want to ask how mermaids got cell-phone coverage in the middle of the Atlantic.** Poseidon groaned.

"It's a long story that involved strikes, angry letters, and illegal cell phone merchants." the god rolled his eyes. "They don't even need cell phones. What's the point when you can Iris Message?"

"Phones aren't just for calling anymore, they can be used for the internet, a flashlight, camera, and all sorts of other things." Hermes explained. It sounded rehearsed like he had said this a million times before.

Poseidon scowled at him. "I _know_ that, but you can do all those things without a cell phone. They just wanted one because the mortals were becoming technologically advanced."

"Careful Uncle P, your age is showing." Apollo teased.

Poseidon huffed in response and continued reading.

**"We didn't get to talk," Leo said. He was reluctant to bring up the subject, but he knew this might be their only chance to be alone. "I mean about Sammy."**

"I'm surprised she's so happy after that and what happened with Shrimpzilla." Connor remarked.

"It's her first time under the sea and seeing merpeople, the experience can make anyone forget the circumstances that lead them there."

**Her smile faded. "I know...I just need some time to let it sink in. It's strange to think that you and he..."**

"Yup." Leo said, bouncing his leg.

**"I'm not sure I can explain this to Frank," she added. "About you and me holding hands."**

**She wouldn't meet Leo's eyes...**

**"I talked to him," Leo said. "I told him I wasn't trying to...you know. Make trouble between you two."**

**"Oh. Good."Did she sound disappointed? Leo wasn't sure...**

"No," Leo said firmly. "I had to be imagining things."

**"Frank, um, seemed pretty freaked out when I summoned fire." Leo explained what had happened in the cave.**

**Hazel looked stunned. "Oh, no. That would** **_terrify_ ** **him."**

"It did," Apollo confirmed.

**Her hand went to her denim jacket, like she was checking for something in the inside pocket. She always wore that jacket, or some sort of overshirt, even when it was hot outside. Leo had assumed that she did it out of modesty, or because it was better for horseback riding, like a motorcycle jacket. Now he began to wonder.**

Aphrodite was the first one to come to the conclusion.

" _Aw!_ He gave it to her!" the goddess cooed. "That is so romantic!"

The Aphrodite girls had similar reactions.

_Of course he would._ Annabeth thought, she wanted to slap her forehead not coming to the conclusion sooner. Hazel had held her pocket jacket so protectively when Leo's hand had burst into flames... It was so obvious now that she looked back on it.

**..."There was an old legend about a hero," he recalled. "His lifeline was tied to a stick in a fireplace, and when that piece of wood burned up..."**

"This happened twice?" Percy said in disbelief.

"The Fates can be cruel..." Annabeth muttered in a low voice, not wanting to be heard.

**Hazel's expression turned dark. Leo knew he'd struck on the truth.**

**"Frank has that problem," he guessed.**

**"And the piece of firewood..." He pointed at Hazel's jacket. "He gave it to you for safekeeping?"**

"That this sweet!" Aphrodite cooed. She couldn't help it. Someone trusting their most greatest weakness in the hands of another! It was love if she ever saw it. Such undeniable trust! Such unmistakable faith in their character!

_Frazel is so pure._ the goddess of love sniffled, feeling herself get a bit teary eyed. _I wish we read about it._

**"Leo, please don't...I can't talk about it."**

**Leo's instincts as a mechanic kicked in. He started thinking about the properties of wood and the corrosiveness of salt water. "Is the firewood okay in the ocean like this? Does the layer of air around you protect it?"**

**"It's fine," Hazel said. "The wood didn't even get wet. Besides, it's wrapped up in several layers of cloth and plastic and—"**

"Cloth and plastic?" Will repeated in disbelief. "Aren't those flammable?"

"It's not like they had a lot of options," Annabeth sighed. "It's a piece of wood, it's vulnerable to everything."

_And if that thing breaks..._ she shuddered.

Had Frank been born with this curse? If so, she couldn't imagine what his childhood. Constantly protecting it, always being reminded what would happen to him if he didn't...Gods... Annabeth's shoulders slumped. 

_He must really trust Hazel if he's willing to left her keep it safe._ Annabeth thought.

**She bit her lip in frustration. "And I'm not supposed to talk about it! Leo, the point is if Frank seems afraid of you, or uneasy, you've got to understand..."**

"I do now." Leo muttered. He pocketed his screws but it was quickly replaced by a cooper wire.

**Leo was glad he was floating, because he probably would've been too dizzy to stand. He imagined being in Frank's position, his life so fragile, it literally could burn up at any time. He imagined how much trust it would take to give his lifeline—his entire fate—to another person.**

"It's unbelievable, right?!" the goddess of love gushed to Leo. "With something as fragile as his weakness, you'd think that he wouldn't trust it to anyone! Much less leave it out of his sight! But he was willing to give some of his responsibility to Hazel because he loves her!" Aphrodite brushed a tear away. "Truly heartwarming..."

"And I had to come along and ruin it." Leo said flatly.

Aphrodite gracefully flicked her hair back.

"You didn't ruin it, sweetheart. Hazel still had to let go of the past if she wanted to have fulfilling second chance in life and love," the goddess patiently pointed out. "She never would have done that if she hadn't met you. You gave her that answers she needed to finally move on."

Leo blinked in surprise. He never considered that. He had been so focused on how much Sammy overshadowed him, he forgot that Hazel wanted to share that flashback with him mainly for answers. She had thought Sammy had died of a heart attack, not after having a long life with a family. Maybe after seeing this it gave her the strength she needed to fully let go of her feelings for Sammy and date Frank with a clear conscious.

It was still very weird, but for the first time, Leo found himself feeling glad that he was like Sammy. If it gave the closure his friend needed, he could handle a little déjà vu.

**Frank had chosen Hazel, obviously. So when he had seen Leo—a guy who could summon fire at will—moving in on his girl...**

**Leo shuddered. No wonder Frank didn't like him. And suddenly Frank's ability to turn into a**   
**bunch of different animals didn't seem so awesome—not if it came with a big catch like that.**

The demigods grimaced.

**Leo thought about his least favorite line in the Prophecy of Seven:** **_To storm or fire the world must fall._ **

Leo and Apollo stiffened.

The son of Hephaestus was doing his best keeping himself occupied with his wire.

Apollo's eyes darted around the room. He did best to appear casual, the god even hummed out one of his favorite songs.

If Hermes felt any way about the passage, he didn't show it. His expression was perfectly neutral with his body relaxed and his arms crossed.

**For a long time, he'd figured that Jason or Percy stood for storm—maybe both of them together. Leo was the fire guy. Nobody said that, but it was pretty clear. Leo was one of the wild cards. If he did the wrong thing, the world could fall. No...it must fall.**

Apollo hummed louder.

_Dude, shut up._ Leo wanted to hiss, but instead he kept his eyes fixated on his wire.

Artemis made a face at her brother's actions but otherwise didn't comment.

**Leo wondered if Frank and his firewood had something to do with that line.**

"I doubt it..." Annabeth said. "If that were true, the verse would say something that tied more specifically to Frank. Like how Nico's line tied in with his last name."

"Yeah, it definitely has something to do with the world." Percy grimaced. _Yet another_ _prophecy that says I might destroy the world._

**Leo had already made some epic mistakes. It would be so easy for him to accidentally send Frank Zhang up in flames.**

"You've had better control of your powers, I don't see that happening." Annabeth said dismissively.

**"There you are!" Bythos's voice made Leo flinch.**

**Bythos and Aphros floated over with Frank between them, looking pale but okay.**

"I wonder what Bythos told him." Hermes mused.

**Frank studied Hazel and Leo carefully, as if trying to read what they'd been talking about.**

**"You are free to go," Bythos said...**

**"Tell Percy Jackson not to worry," Aphros said. "We have understood your story about the** **imprisoned sea creatures in Atlanta. Keto and Phorcys must be stopped. We will send a quest of mer-** **heroes to defeat them and free their captives. Perhaps Cyrus?"**

"Cyrus is very skilled in weaponry and is very strategic, " Poseidon said. "But he is too arrogant." 

**"Or Bill," Bythos offered.**

Poseidon nodded his head in approval.

**"Yes! Bill would be perfect," Aphros agreed. "At any rate, we are grateful that Percy brought this to our attention."**

**"You should talk to him in person," Leo suggested. "I mean, son of Poseidon, and all."**

Percy perked up.

**Both fish-centaurs shook their heads solemnly.**

Percy frowned. "What? But why?"

**"Sometimes it is best not to interact with Poseidon's brood," Aphros said.**

"But they met with Triton," Percy pointed out. "They even _trained_ him! What's different about coming over and saying 'hello'?"

Poseidon shifted uncomfortably in his throne.

"It's... _complicated._ It has nothing to do with you personally it's just... There are certain lines we agreed on not to cross and talking to you would do that."

"Of course it would." Percy grumbled. 

**"We are friendly with the sea god, of course; but the politics of undersea deities is...complicated. And we value our independence. Nevertheless, tell Percy thank you. We will do what we can to speed you safely across the Atlantic without further interference from Keto's monsters, but be warned: in the ancient sea, the Mare Nostrum, more dangers await."**

"Let's just hope that they're not as bad as Shrimpzilla," Percy said.

**Bythos clapped the big guy on the shoulder. "You will be fine, Frank Zhang. Keep practicing** **those sea life transformations. The koi fish is good, but try for a Portuguese man-of-war. Remember what I showed you. It's all in the breathing."**

"So while Leo's explaining his whole life story, Frank's getting a training exercise." Travis snickered.

Frank looked mortally embarrassed. Leo bit his lip, determined not to smile.

**"And you, Hazel," Aphros said, "come visit again, and bring that horse of yours! I know you are concerned about the time you lost, spending the night in our realm. You are worried about your brother, Nico...."**

Will sighed heavily.

Hades grimaced.

**Hazel gripped her cavalry sword. "Is he—do you know where he is?"**

**Aphros shook his head.**

The readers groaned.

"Not even an inkling," Annabeth sighed, brushing her hair back.

**"Not exactly. But when you get closer, you should be able to sense his presence. Never fear! You must reach Rome the day after tomorrow if you are to save him, but there is still time.** **And you must save him."**

"No pressure." Nico said.

**"Yes," Bythos agreed. "He will be essential for your journey. I am not sure how, but I sense it is true."**

**Aphros planted his hand on Leo's shoulder. "As for you, Leo Valdez, stay close to Hazel and  
Frank when you reach Rome. I sense they will face...ah, _mechanical_ difficulties that only you can overcome."**

Leo grimaced.

Jake and Nyssa exchanged frowns.

**"Mechanical difficulties?" Leo asked.**

**Aphros smiled as if that was great news. "And I have gifts for you, the brave navigator of the _Argo II!"_**

**"I like to think of myself as captain," Leo said. "Or supreme commander."**

The Stolls snickered.

**"Brownies!" Aphros said proudly, shoving an old-fashioned picnic basket into Leo's arms.**

"I like how he just ignores your comment," Connor laughed harder.

"What kind of brownies are those?" Grover wondered.

**..."In this basket you will also find the recipe. Not too much butter! That's the trick. And** **I've given you a letter of introduction to Tiberinus, the god of the Tiber River. Once you reach Rome,** **your friend the daughter of Athena will need this."**

"For Tiberinus?" Annabeth's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Why would I need help from him?"

**"Annabeth..." Leo said. "Okay, but why?"**

**Bythos laughed. "She follows the Mark of Athena, doesn't she? Tiberinus can guide her in this** **quest. He's an ancient, proud god who can be...difficult; but letters of introduction are everything to** **Roman spirits. This will convince Tiberinus to help her. Hopefully."**

"Great," Annabeth groaned. "I hope he's not like Terminus."

**"Hopefully," Leo repeated.**

**Bythos produced three small pink pearls from his saddlebags.**

Grover, Annabeth, and Percy exchanged brief knowing grins.

**"And now, off with you, demigods! Good sailing!"**

**He threw a pearl at each of them in turn, and three shimmering pink bubbles of energy formed around them.**

**They began to rise through the water. Leo just had time to think: _A hamster ball elevator?_** Poseidon made a face as the demigods snickered. **Then he gained speed and rocketed toward the distant glow of the sun above.**

"That's the end of the chapter," the god said. He couldn't help but feel relieved as he said this. 

"I'll read next," Hephaestus said, taking the book.

" **Piper XXV** ," he began.


	25. Piper XXV

" **Piper XXV** ," Hephaestus read.

Leo stretched his arms.

**PIPER HAD A NEW ENTRY in her top-ten list of Times Piper Felt Useless.**

Aphrodite, Leo, and the demigods frowned.

**Fighting Shrimpzilla with a dagger and a pretty voice? Not so effective. Then the monster had sunk into the deep and disappeared along with three of her friends, and she'd been powerless to help them.**

"We couldn't do anything either," Annabeth unhappily reminded.

"Worst fight I ever went through." Percy said bitterly. He didn't think he was ever that helpless and he was surrounded by water! His element!

**Afterward, Annabeth, Coach Hedge, and Buford the table rushed around repairing things so that the ship wouldn't sink.** Hephaestus grimaced.

His children winced.

**Percy, despite being exhausted, searched the ocean for their missing friends.**

Annabeth's frown deepened.

Poseidon shot his son a worried look.

"Not that it would do any good against Bythos and Aphros' fish-centaur magic." Percy grumbled under his breath.

Leo played with the buttons on his jacket.

**Jason, also exhausted, flew around the rigging like a blond Peter Pan, putting out fires from the second green explosion that had lit up the sky just above the mainmast.**

_Poor Jay..._ Thalia thought sympathetically.

Jake and Nyssa winced.

**As for Piper, all she could do was stare at her knife Katoptris, trying to locate Leo, Hazel, and Frank. The only images that came to her were ones she didn't want to see:**

"The bull-guy in the water and us about to drown?" Percy guessed.

**three black SUVs driving north from Charleston, packed with Roman demigods, Reyna sitting at the wheel of the lead car. Giant eagles escorted them from above. Every so often, glowing purple spirits in ghostly chariots appeared out of the countryside and fell in behind them, thundering up I-95 toward New York and Camp Half-Blood.**

The gods stiffened.

The demigods shuddered.

Percy's shoulders slumped, he suddenly looked tired.

"Oh gods..." Chris muttered under his breath, he felt his face pale.

"Please tell me someone sent us a warning," Katie said, hands shaking. If the Romans came to Camp without them being prepared....

The demigods grimaced.

"I don't remember the book mentioning that..." Annabeth grabbed her necklace, trying to recall if that ever happened. Between escaping the Romans and fighting Shrimpzilla, she couldn't think of a time anyone had a chance to Iris message the others at Camp.

**Piper concentrated harder. She saw the nightmarish images she had seen before: the human headed bull rising from the water, then the dark well-shaped room filling with black water as Jason, Percy, and she struggled to stay afloat.**

Thalia, Aphrodite, Cabin Ten, and Poseidon winced.

"As if the last vision wasn't enough," Percy said, brushing his hair back and sighing. The vision didn't faze him as much as the first one had. He was used to going on quests that risked his life, but having the camp being attacked was a nightmare he never wanted to relive.

Neither did the others, judging the looks of dread that were still on the readers' faces.

**She sheathed Katoptris, wondering how Helen of Troy had stayed sane during the Trojan War, if this blade had been her only source of news.**

"After all the things she went through, I doubt she was sane even _before_ she got that dagger." Annabeth muttered.

**...By the time the sun rose, none of them had slept. Percy had scoured the seafloor and found nothing. The Argo II was no longer in danger of sinking, though without Leo, they couldn't do full repairs.**

"At least the ship's in stable condition," Jake said with a sigh.

"Hopefully there won't be another monster attack," Nyssa said. Her comment earned grimaces from the others.

**...Piper and Annabeth sent a dream vision to Camp Half-Blood, warning Chiron of what had**   
**happened with the Romans at Fort Sumter. Annabeth explained her exchange of words with Reyna. Piper relayed the vision from her knife about the SUVs racing north.**

The readers relaxed slightly, relieved to hear that the warning was passed on to the centaur.

_He's not going to like hearing this..._ Percy thought, thinking back to Chiron's earlier reaction when he saw Jason the first time and how he acted after hearing Jason recite the lines of the Great Prophecy.

He hated how Chiron's fears were proving to be true. The Greeks and Romans had the potential to get along, the Romans were at least warming up to the idea until that eidolon ruined everything.

_We can make sure that never happens,_ Percy reminded himself.

**The kindly centaur's face seemed to age thirty years during the course of their conversation,**

Annabeth guiltily winced. _Sorry Chiron, but we had to tell someone._ If her and Piper told anyone else, she'd imagine they'd go directly to the centaur anyway. That is, after they have a massive panic attack.

**but he assured them he would see to the defenses of the camp. Tyson, Mrs. O'Leary, and Ella had arrived safely.**

Percy, Poseidon, and the demigods let out sighs of relief.

**If necessary, Tyson could summon an army of Cyclopes to the camp's defense,**

Hestia grimaced.

"Let's hope it doesn't get that bad." she said, probing her hearth.

"I wouldn't hold my breath." Demeter said grimly. _These wars get worse and worse every time they meet._

**and Ella and Rachel Dare were already comparing prophecies, trying to learn more about what the future held. The job of the seven demigods aboard the Argo II, Chiron reminded them, was to finish the quest and come back safely.**

"Easier said than done." Annabeth muttered.

"I know, right?" Percy agreed. A part of him wanted to just have the ship turn around and head back to Camp, but they couldn't abandon Nico and they really couldn't let the giants 'destroy the roots of the gods'.

_This whole thing is a mess._ the son of Poseidon concluded.

**After the Iris-message, the demigods paced the deck in silence, staring at the water and hoping for a miracle.**

"Say no more! We're on our way!" Leo joked, playing with a few paper clips.

**When it finally came—three giant pink bubbles bursting at the surface off the starboard bow and ejecting Frank, Hazel, and Leo—Piper went a little crazy. She cried out with relief and dove straight into the water.**

"She calls that 'a little crazy'? She practically swan dived into the water!" Leo laughed, along with a few chuckling demigods.

**What was she thinking? She didn't take a rope or a life vest or anything. But at the moment, she was just so happy that she paddled over to Leo and kissed him on the cheek, which kind of surprised him.**

"Why wouldn't it?" Leo asked, looking slightly embarrassed. "It's not like you've ever done that before."

Aphrodite just cooed. " _Aw!_   Sibling love!"

"Yeah, I guess she was serious about that," Leo laughed awkwardly. It was one thing to think of the others on the _Argo II_ as family, it was another to have them act like family. When he first heard Piper call him her 'annoying little brother', he figured she was joking or at least overexaggerating.

"Of course she was," Aphrodite said, braiding her hair. "Piper doesn't consider just anyone family and you two have known each other for so long, you might as well be siblings."

**"Miss me?" Leo laughed.**

"Kind of," Connor snickered.

**Piper was suddenly furious. "Where** **_were_ ** **you? How are you guys alive?"**

"Oh, you know, in an undersea training camp being interrogated by sea-horse guys. The usual." Leo shrugged as casually as he could.

"Sea-horse guys?" the god of the sea repeated in disbelief. "Is the name of their species really that hard to pronounce?"

"It's not that it's difficult, it's just that 'fish centaur' and 'sea-horse guys' are more fun to say." Apollo said honestly. His words were met with a baffled look from his uncle.

"Really?" Poseidon was even more confused than he had before. Since when was renaming an entire species 'fun'?

**"Long story," he said. A picnic basket bobbed to the surface next to him. "Want a brownie?"**

"Nice segue," Travis joked.

"I try," Leo said back with a grin. He bent one of his paper clips in half.

**Once they got on board and changed into dry clothes (poor Frank had to borrow a pair of too-small pants from Jason)**

Members of Cabin Ten winced in sympathy.

Will frowned.

"After they rescue  Nico and stop the giants, they should really get Frank new clothes." he said, more to himself than anyone else.

**the crew all gathered on the quarterdeck for a celebratory breakfast—except** **for Coach Hedge, who grumbled that the atmosphere was getting too cuddly for his tastes and went** **below to hammer out some dents in the hull.**

Leo kinda understood where Coach Hedge was coming from. It was overwhelming for him to be brought back to the ship and find everyone so relieved to see him. That plus the ship being a wreck, he was amazed he was able to sit still.

_If they were like that when I was gone for a day, imagine how they'll react when I come back from this._ Leo thought, then he suddenly frowned. _How_ _will_ _they react to me coming back? What's even going to happen when I return to the future?_

Judging from his dream, the whole time line was altering itself as they were reading, it was possible that when he came back the others might have forgotten he disappeared. Maybe their old memories were gone and replaced with entirely new ones? If that was true, what would happen to him?

Straightening his paper clip, the son of Hephaestus couldn't help but feel nervous about his return.

**While Leo fussed over his helm controls, Hazel and** **Frank related the story of the fish-centaurs and their training camp.**

**"Incredible," Jason said.**

Annabeth nodded her head in agreement.

"Yeah, it's pretty surprising how they just so happened to be saved by the very same people we were looking for."

"And lucky too." Chris added.

**"These are** **_really_ ** **good brownies."**

The Stolls snickered as Annabeth made a face.

"Really?" she said. "Your friends just came back from a whole other world with information that could help us on our quest, and all you have to talk about is their _brownies?"_

**...He looked surprised. "What? I heard the story. Fish-centaurs. Merpeople. Letter of intro to the Tiber River god. Got it. But these brownies—"**

The Stolls laughed harder, Hermes and Apollo joining them.

Annabeth smacked her forehead.

**"I know," Frank said, his mouth full. "Try them with Esther's peach preserves."**

Demeter scrunched up her nose. "How about a bowl of Cheerios instead?"

"Peach preserves with brownies?" Thalia gagged, her stomach clenched just thinking about it. "Why would he even think to try that?"

"It doesn't sound so bad," Grover mused. His remark was met with looks of disgust from the two.

"Considering you eat furniture, I can't say I'm surprised." the daughter of Zeus said.

**"Pass me the jar, man," Jason said.**

Thalia looked horrified. "Jason Grace, don't you dare!"

"They're going to make themselves sick." Will said with a resigned sigh. _I guess I should add Stomach Relief tablets onto the list..._

**...Percy, for his part, wanted to hear every detail about the aquatic camp. He kept coming back to one point: "They didn't want to meet me?"**

Percy groaned. "Don't remind me."

**"It wasn't that," Hazel said. "Just...undersea politics, I guess. The merpeople are territorial. The good news is they're taking care of that aquarium in Atlanta. And they'll help protect the Argo II as we cross the Atlantic."**

" _Yeah,_ that's good news..." Percy slowly agreed, it didn't take away the frustration that Bythos and Aphros didn't want to meet him, but it helped.

**Percy nodded absently. "But they didn't want to meet me?"**

" _Seaweed Brain..._ " Annabeth said with impatience.

"I know, I know, we got bigger things to worry about." he reluctantly said.

**..."She's right," Hazel said. "After today, Nico has less than two days. The fish-centaurs said we have to rescue him. He's essential to the quest somehow."**

**She looked around defensively, as if waiting for someone to argue. No one did. Piper tried to imagine what Nico di Angelo was feeling, stuck in a jar with only two pomegranate seeds left to sustain him, and no idea whether he would be rescued.**

Hades clenched his armrests.

Will paled as Nico twisted his skull ring.

**It made Piper anxious to reach Rome, even though she had a horrible feeling she was sailing toward her own sort of prison—a dark room filled with water.**

"Don't say that." Aphrodite whimpered.

Lacy shuddered.

**"Nico must have information about the Doors of Death," Piper said. "We'll save him, Hazel. We** **can make it in time. Right, Leo?"**

**"What?" Leo tore his eyes away from the controls. "Oh, yeah. We should reach the Mediterranean tomorrow morning. Then spend the rest of that day sailing to Rome, or** **_flying_ ** **, if I can get the stabilizer fixed by then...."**

"Hopefully," Annabeth sighed.

**Jason suddenly looked as though his brownie with peach preserves didn't taste so good.**

"I could've told you that." Thalia grumbled.

**"Which will put us in Rome on the last possible day for Nico. Twenty-four hours to find him—at most."**

Will buried his face in his hands. _Why does it always have to be on the last possible day?_

For a moment, Hades' stoic face looked nervous. He felt himself break out into a sweat. To have his son die that way...

_No,_ the god told himself, returning back to his usual expressionless state. _They'll make it._

**[Percy]... "And that's only part of the problem. There's the Mark of Athena, too."**

Annabeth crossed her arms and looked away from the others.

**Annabeth didn't seem happy with the change of topic. She rested her hand on her backpack, which, since they'd left Charleston, she always seemed to have with her.**

**She opened the bag and brought out a thin bronze disk the diameter of a donut. "This is the map that I found at Fort Sumter. It's..."**

**She stopped abruptly, staring at the smooth bronze surface. "It's blank!"**

"What?!" Annabeth exclaimed, bolting up in her chair.

"Did the fabric of the backpack somehow smudge off the writing?" Katie asked.

"It couldn't have," Chris argued. "That was _engraved_ onto the disk, writing like that doesn't just disappear."

"Actually it can," Athena said. The demigods turned their attention to her.

"This quest is only for Annabeth, and because of that, the writing will only appear when she is alone."

Percy frowned. "Really? We can't even look over what the disc says to help her?"

"It makes sense," Annabeth sighs. "'Wisdom's daughter walks alone'..."

The son of Poseidon scowled. "I'm really starting to hate that line..."

**...** **Frank scooted back like the disk might explode. He had an orange-juice mustache and a brownie-crumb beard that made Piper want to hand him a napkin.**

Demeter looked like she wanted to take a napkin and clean Frank's face herself.

"How could he eat brownies and peach preserves _with_ orange juice?" she couldn't help but say in disbelief. "That can't be good for his stomach. He could've at least drank it with milk or water. Or have a bowl of Lucky Charms to wash it down."

Will's eyebrows furrowed. "Wouldn't the marshmallows from the cereal make him feel worse?"

**"What did it have on it?" Frank asked nervously. "And what is the Mark of Athena? I still don't get it."**

**Percy took it and examined both sides. "It wasn't like this earlier?"**

**"The map was hard to read, but it showed a spot on the Tiber River in Rome. I think that's where my quest starts...the path I've got to take to follow the Mark."**

"Which is good, considering I need Tiberinus for help," Annabeth muttered.

**...Piper said. "But what _is_ the Mark?"**

**"The coin," Annabeth murmured.**

"Going to have to be more specific if you want the help." Hera rolled her eyes.

Annabeth glared at her. "I'm getting there."

**...Annabeth dug into her pocket and brought out a silver drachma. "I've been carrying this ever since I saw my mom at Grand Central.**

Annabeth and Athena stiffened at the reminder of what happened at Grand Central, but chose not to comment on it.

Annabeth played with the college ring on her necklace.

**It's an Athenian coin."**

**She passed it around. While each demigod looked at it, Piper had a ridiculous memory of show-and-tell in elementary school.**

Despite the situation, Travis couldn't help but grin.

**"An owl," Leo noted. "Well, that makes sense. I guess the branch is an olive branch? But what's this inscription, I** **∪⊕** **—Area Of Effect?"**

**"It's alpha, theta, epsilon," Annabeth said. "In Greek it stands for** **_Of The Athenians_ ** **...or you could read it as** **_the children of Athena_ ** **. It's sort of the Athenian motto."**

**"Like SPQR for the Romans," Piper guessed.**

Athena scowled.

"I suppose that's one way of putting it," the goddess said tightly.

**Annabeth nodded. "Anyway, the Mark of Athena is an owl, just like that one. It appears in fiery red. I've seen it in my dreams. Then twice at Fort Sumter."**

**She described what had happened at the fort—the voice of Gaea, the spiders in the garrison,**

Annabeth shuddered. Percy grabbed her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

**the Mark burning them away. Piper could tell it wasn't easy for her to talk about.**

**[Percy]... "I should have been there for you."**

"But you can't and you know why." Annabeth tiredly reminded.

"Yeah," Percy grumbled, giving her hand another squeeze.

**"But that's the point," Annabeth said. "No one can be there for me. When I get to Rome, I'll have to strike out on my own. Otherwise, the Mark won't appear. I'll have to follow it to...to the source."**

**Frank took the coin from Leo. He stared at the owl. "** **_The giants' bane stands gold and pale, Won with pain from a woven jail_ ** **." He looked up at Annabeth. "What is it...this thing at the source?"**

Annabeth paled. In his grip, Percy could feel her hand start to shake. "Do we have to talk about that now?"

Percy grimaced. "We have to at some point."

He couldn't help but feel worried. It wasn't like he didn't believe that Annabeth was a capable fighter, he's seen her beat monsters twice her size numerous of times, but with spiders things were different. She would freeze up and panic at even the smallest spider, how was she going to fight Arachne, the Mother of all spiders, _alone?_

Percy felt his own face grow pale, he did his best not to think about it further and focus on the book.

**Before Annabeth could answer, Jason spoke up.**

**"A statue," he said. "A statue of Athena. At least...that's my guess."**

**Piper frowned. "You said you didn't know."**

**"I** **_don't._ ** **But the more I think about it...there's only one artifact that could fit the legend." He turned to Annabeth. "I'm sorry. I should have told you everything I've heard, much earlier. But honestly, I was scared. If this legend is true—"**

**"I know," Annabeth said. "I figured it out, Jason. I don't blame you. But if we manage to save the statue, Greek and Romans together...Don't you see? It could heal the rift."**

"How exactly will it do that?" Travis said with a frown. "Does it have some kind of power that'll make the Romans stop hating us?"

Annabeth wrapped her necklace around her finger. She didn't know how exactly it would help, especially with the Romans already so geared up to fight, but she had to try.

**"Hold on." Percy made a** **_time-out gesture._ ** **"** **_What statue?"_ **

**Annabeth took back the silver coin and slipped it into her pocket. "The Athena Parthenos," she said. "The most famous Greek statue of all time. It was forty feet tall, covered in ivory and gold. It stood in the middle of the Parthenon in Athens."**

Athena sighed longingly. The goddess had such a pained look on her face that even after hearing all the things her mother will put her through, Annabeth couldn't help but feel bad.

"Wait, the Romans were able to steal a forty foot tall statue that was placed in the center of a capital city?" Connor wasn't sure if he should be impressed or embarrassed as a Greek that this could happen. "How does that even work? Even if they did it at the dead of night, someone had to have seen something."

The gods shifted uncomfortably in their thrones. They glanced at each other. Athena scowled, the pained look in her eyes was quickly replaced with hatred.

"We don't... _know_ how the statue was taken..." Zeus reluctantly admitted.

"One minute it was there, the next it was gone." Hestia added. "It's a mystery as to how the statue was taken. Some say the thieves melted it into gold, others thought it was destroyed. There have even been some who suggested that it could've been carried off."

"Without _nobody_ in the capital seeing it?" Clarisse said skeptically. She rolled her eyes. "Give me a break."

"But wait," Percy said, eyebrows furrowed. "If nobody knows what really happened to the statue, how do they know that the Romans took it? What if this was some kind of misunderstanding? Or maybe a mutual enemy stole it and blamed the Romans?"

Athena scoffed. "We don't have concrete evidence, but there are enough 'legends' from New Rome that support this theory."

Percy's shoulders slumped in disappointment. "Oh."

**...Leo frowned. "How does a forty-foot-tall statue in the middle of the Parthenon just disappear?"**

**"That's a good question," Annabeth said. "It's one of the biggest mysteries in history. Some people** **thought the statue was melted down for its gold, or destroyed by invaders. Athens was sacked a** **number of times. Some thought the statue was carried off—"**

**"By Romans," Jason finished. "At least, that's one theory, and it fits the legend I heard at Camp Jupiter. To break the Greeks' spirit, the Romans carted off the Athena Parthenos when they took over the city of Athens.**

Athena gnashed her teeth together, she clenched her hands into fists so hard that they started shaking.

**They hid it in an underground shrine in Rome. The Roman demigods swore it would never see the light of day. They literally stole Athena, so she could no longer be the symbol of Greek military power. She became Minerva, a much tamer goddess."**

"So that's why Athena wants to find that statue so bad," Percy mused. "I thought it was more of a pride thing..."

"It's part of it." Annabeth conceded with a sigh. "But that statue is also a part of her self that went missing when the Romans stole it."

**"Most don't know about the legend, but in each generation, a few are chosen by the goddess. They're given a coin like mine. They follow the Mark of Athena...a kind of magical trail that links them to the statue...hoping to find the resting place of the Athena Parthenos and get the statue back."**

**Piper watched the two of them—Annabeth and Jason—with quiet amazement. They spoke like a team, without any hostility or blame.**

Thalia smiled.

Annabeth shifted uncomfortably, suddenly finding her shoes to be interesting.

"I mean, it's not like he's the one who stole it..." she trailed off.

**The two of them had never really trusted each other. Piper was close enough to both of them to know that.**

Annabeth cringed. That must've been awkward. She could practically see all the cringeworthy moments where she was in the middle of happily chatting with Piper, only for her to go suddenly distant the moment Jason showed up.

**But now...if they could discuss such a huge problem so calmly—the ultimate source of Greek/Roman hatred—maybe there was hope for the two camps, after all.**

" _Yeah..."_ the daughter of Athena said awkwardly.

Leo attached a paperclip onto his zipper.

**Percy seemed be having similar thoughts, judging from his surprised expression. "So if we—I mean** **_you_ ** **—find the statue...what would we do with it? Could we even** **_move_ ** **it?"**

Nyssa shrugged.

"You could tie it with ropes and have the ship pull it out," she suggested.

"And then what? They can't just leave it hanging in the air like that. They'd have to put it in the ship," Katie said.

"But where would we put a forty foot tall statue?" Percy asked.

The demigods momentarily frowned.

"Let's worry about that when I find it." Annabeth suggested.

**"I'm not sure," Annabeth admitted. "But if we could save it somehow, it could unite the two camps. It could heal my mother of this hatred she's got, tearing her two aspects apart. And maybe...maybe the statue has some sort of power that could help us against the giants."**

The demigods perked up.

"That'd be helpful!" Travis beamed as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "What if it could shoot lasers? Or knows martial arts?"

"The statue doesn't do that." Athena said flatly.

**Piper stared at Annabeth with awe, just starting to appreciate the huge responsibility her friend had taken on. And Annabeth meant to do it alone.**

Annabeth grimaced at the reminder.

**"This could change everything," Piper said. "It could end thousands of years of hostility. It might be the key to defeating Gaea. But if we can't help you..."**

**She didn't finish, but the question seemed to hang in the air:** **_Was saving the statue even possible?_ **

"Guess we'll find out..." Annabeth said miserably. She and Percy squeezed each other's hands at the same time, trying to comfort the other.

"You can do it," Athena tried to encourage. "I know you can. Just rely on your instincts and what your years of experience has taught you."

Annabeth let out a shaky sigh and slowly nodded her head. She wanted to tell her mother how unfair it was that she had to do this alone. She never got a chance to learn how to cope with her arachnophobia and now she's expected to fight Arachne without so much as a helpful piece of advice. _Why do you think I can do this after so many others have failed? Do you really believe it? Or are you just saying that?_

Feeling a lump in her throat, Annabeth swallowed and squared her shoulders. Whether it was fair or not, she still had to do this if she ever wanted to heal her mother and unite the two sides.

_I just hope this book is enough to prepare me._ she thought with a gulp.

**..."I have to succeed," Annabeth said simply. "The risk is worth it."**

Annabeth hoped her face looked more confident than she felt.

**Hazel twirled her hair pensively. "I don't like the idea of you risking your life alone, but you're right. We saw what recovering the golden eagle standard did for the Roman legion. If this statue is the most powerful symbol of Athena ever created—"**

**"It could kick some serious** **booty," Leo offered.** Hephaestus cringed. "Er... that's one way to put it..."

"Somebody had to break the ice," Leo said as innocently as he could. He tried to keep a straight face as the Stolls snickered.

" _Boys,"_ Phoebe rolled her eyes.

**"Except..." Percy took Annabeth's hand again. "No child of Athena has** **_ever_ ** **found it. Annabeth, what's** **_down_ ** **there? What's guarding it? If it's got to do with spiders—?"**

"Sorry," Percy apologized, seeing his girlfriend's face pale.

"It's alright..." Annabeth said, unable to keep the slight tremor out of her voice.

**"** **_Won through pain from a woven jail_ ** **," Frank recalled. "Woven, like webs?"**

Annabeth shuddered. Just thinking about webs made her stomach churn.

**Annabeth's face turned as white as printer paper. Piper suspected that Annabeth knew what awaited her...or at least that she had a very good idea. She was trying to hold down a wave of panic and terror.**

Annabeth bit her lip.

**"We'll deal with that when we get to Rome," Piper suggested, putting a little charmspeak in her voice to soothe her friend's nerves. "It's going to work out. Annabeth is going to kick some serious**..." Hephaestus hesitated and sighed." ** _booty_** **, too. You'll see."**

The snickers from Travis and Connor came back, this time with Leo joining them.

**"Yeah," Percy said. "I learned a long time ago:** **_Never_ ** **bet against Annabeth."**

Annabeth managed to give her boyfriend a small smile.

**Judging from their half-eaten breakfasts, the others still felt uneasy; but Leo managed to shake them out of it. He pushed a button, and a loud blast of steam exploded from Festus's mouth, making everyone jump.**

"We still had stuff to do around the ship," Leo shrugged, still grinning. "No sense in sitting around any longer."

"Yeah, the faster we get things done the faster we can get the ship flying." Annabeth agreed, eager for a change in subject.

**"Well!" he said. "Good pep rally, but there's still a ton of things to fix on this ship before we get to the Mediterranean. Please report to Supreme Commander Leo for your superfun list of chores!"**

" _Superfun?"_ Percy groaned. He knew it had to be done, but the name didn't make chores anymore exciting.

"Just don't leave Annabeth and Percy in charge of cleaning the stables!" Connor joked, earning snickers from Aphrodite and the demigods. Members of  Cabin Ten started cackling and pushing each other around.

Artemis and her hunters cringed.

Athena, Annabeth, and Percy glared at him. The last two's face were turning red.

" _Shut up!"_   Percy snapped, his voice cracking only made them laugh harder.

**Piper and Jason took charge of cleaning the lower deck...Reorganizing sickbay and battening down the storage area took them most of the day,**

_Hopefully nothing important broke._ Will thought with a grimace.

**but Piper didn't mind. For one thing, she got to spend time with Jason.**

Aphrodite and Lacy cooed at that.

**For another, last night's explosions had given Piper a healthy respect for Greek fire. She didn't want any loose vials of that stuff rolling through the corridors in the middle of the night.**

"Good idea," Katie said with a shudder.

"Yeah, that'd be pretty bad..." Travis admitted with a nervous chuckle.

**As they were fixing up the stables, Piper thought about the night Annabeth and Percy had spent down here accidentally.**

" _Yeah... 'Accidentally'."_ Aphrodite said with a giggle.

"It _was_ an accident, if we hadn't fallen asleep, we would have gone back into our rooms." Annabeth said firmly. Or at least, as firmly as she could with a red face.

**Piper wished that she could talk with Jason all night—just curl up on the stable floor and enjoy being with him. Why didn't _they_ get to break the rules?**

"I wouldn't mind reading a chapter like that." Aphrodite said cheerfully, her daughters squealed in agreement.

The hunters shuddered at the thought.

"Please don't," Thalia said, making a face. She could handle a few moments of her brother and Piper being lovey-dovey here and there. But a whole chapter of them cuddling and kissing would be too much.

"Sounds fun until Coach Hedge catches you," Annabeth said with a grimace. "If you really want to try it, I suggest finding a new hiding spot. The last thing we need is someone not being able to go on the quest because they're _grounded._ "

"Or have bells tied around our necks," Leo added with a similar grimace. 

"He actually threatened to do that?" Apollo chuckled.

"Well, he's creative, I'll give him that." Hermes joked with a snicker. 

**But Jason wasn't like that. He was hardwired to be a leader and set a good example. Breaking the rules didn't come naturally to him.**

"How unfortunate..." Aphrodite sighed sadly.

**No doubt Reyna admired that about him. Piper did too...mostly.**

**The one time she'd convinced him to be a rebel was back at the Wilderness School, when they had sneaked onto the roof at night to watch a meteor shower. That's where they'd had their first kiss.**

The members of Cabin Ten sighed happily.

"That was so cute!" Lacy giggled.

**Unfortunately, that memory was a trick of the Mist, a magical lie implanted in her head by Hera. Piper and Jason were together now, in real life, but their relationship had been founded on an illusion.**

The smile on Lacy's face wavered. Her and the other Aphrodite children shifted uncomfortably.

"That doesn't mean it can't change..." Lacy weakly protested.

**If Piper tried to get the real Jason to sneak out at night, would he do it?**

"He might need some convincing, but it wouldn't hurt to try." Aphrodite said with a mischievous grin.

**...The glass floor hatch glowed from the ocean below—a green expanse of light and shadow that seemed to go down forever.**

"It's a good thing that hasn't broken in the middle of the battle," Jake remarked, grimacing at the thought.

**Piper kept glancing over, afraid she'd see a monster's face peeping in, or the water cannibals from her grandfather's old stories;** **but all she saw was an occasional school of herring.**

The demigods released breaths they hadn't realized they were holding.

Leo played with his zipper.

**As she watched Jason work, she admired how easily he did each task, whether it was fixing a door or oiling saddles. It wasn't just his strong arms and his skillful hands, though Piper liked those just fine,**

The girls from Cabin Ten giggled.

_Oh my gods..._ Thalia inwardly groaned. Feeling a wave of embarrassment, she ducked her head and buried it in her hands. Her fellow hunters gave her sympathetic glances.

**but the way he acted so upbeat and confident. He did what needed to be done without complaint. He kept his sense of humor, despite the fact that the guy had to be dead on his feet after not having slept the night before. Piper couldn't blame Reyna for having a crush on him. When it came to work and duty, Jason was Roman to the core.**

_And that's what makes him so attractive?_ Athena rolled her eyes.

**Piper thought about her mother's tea party in Charleston. She wondered what the goddess had told Reyna a year ago, and why it had changed the way Reyna treated Jason. Had Aphrodite encouraged or discouraged her to like Jason?**

Said goddess purposefully looked away from everyone's questioning gazes.

"We didn't talk about _anything_ really." Aphrodite said, busying herself by painting her nails. "I didn't encourage or discourage her about her feelings toward Jason."

Not buying it, the others frowned. **  
**

**Piper wasn't sure, but she wished her mom hadn't appeared in Charleston.**

Aphrodite looked up from her nails and pouted.

**Regular mothers were embarrassing enough. Godly glamour moms who invited your friends over for tea and guy talk—that was just mortifying.**

" _How?"_ Aphrodite said, her voice full of confusion. "Isn't that what girls do with each other? Drink tea and talk about boys?"

"Not all girls," Artemis rolled her eyes.

"And the ones that do I doubt want to have those conversations with their moms around..." Katie hesitantly offered.

Aphrodite threw her hands up in exasperation. "But I'm not _a_ glamour mom, I'm _the glamour mom!_ Aphrodite, goddess of love! I'm the best person to have boy talk with!"

_I'm not so sure about that. The last thing a person wants is to have Aphrodite too invested in their love lives._ Annabeth thought with a frown.

**Aphrodite had paid so much attention to Annabeth and Hazel, it had made Piper uneasy. When her mom got interested in somebody's love life, usually that was a bad sign. It meant trouble was coming. Or as Aphrodite would say, _twists and turns._**

"Not all of those were because of me." Aphrodite defended.

"But some of them were." Annabeth impatiently pointed out.

**But also, Piper was secretly hurt not to have her mother to herself.**

The goddess blinked in surprise.

The other gods winced when they noticed the looks of understanding from their children. 

_There's never a time we can just have a normal one-on-one with our parents..._ Percy bitterly thought.

**Aphrodite had barely looked at her. She hadn't said a word about Jason. She hadn't bothered explaining her conversation with Reyna at all.**

"But-" Aphrodite floundered, eyebrows furrowed. "But I thought she didn't like it when I talked about relationships." 

"She doesn't, but when you're paying more attention to everyone else but her, she's bound to feel left out..." Chris said. "Especially since this is the second time you've seen each other face-to-face." He couldn't help but look at Hermes when he said this.

The gods grimaced and refused to meet their children's eyes. For some of them, yesterday was the first time they've ever been in contact with their kids.

Aphrodite winced. She hadn't even considered Piper's feelings when they read that chapter. She thought she was being a cool mother by coming to help them on their quest. She had been so caught up in being 'not like the other moms', she looked over the fact that she hadn't even asked how Piper was doing.

_We barely even had a conversation..._ Aphrodite realized, her heart clenched. She had that opportunity to actually see her daughter and get a chance to talk, and she blows it by wasting time reminiscing about the good old days.

**It was almost as if Aphrodite no longer found Piper interesting. Piper had gotten her guy. Now it was up to her to make things work, and Aphrodite had moved on to newer gossip as easily as she might toss out an old copy of a tabloid magazine.**

_That's not true, Piper!_ the goddess of love bit her lip.

**_All of you are such excellent stories,_ Aphrodite had said. _I mean, girls._**

**Piper hadn't appreciated that, but part of her had thought: _Fine. I don't want to be a story. I want a nice steady life with a nice steady boyfriend._**

"That makes two of us..." Annabeth said, giving the goddess of love a meaningful glare.

The goddess was too caught up in her own thoughts to notice. She was guiltily glancing back at her children and wondered if they were having similar thoughts now. These two days were the one of the rare times she and her children were together in one place and she hadn't really spoken to them. Now that Aphrodite thought about it, there were only a handful of times when she had spoken to them directly. 

Her eyes widened. She was making the same mistake she made in the book without even noticing!

_And here I am thinking how awesome I was being for throwing a tea party..._ Aphrodite wanted to laugh, instead she slumped in her throne and rested her head in her hand. The goddess blew out a sigh. _With the way I ignore my children, I'll be lucky enough to get a single Mother's Day card this year._

She felt her stomach drop at the truth of that statement.  

**If only she knew more about making relationships work. She was supposed to be an expert, being the head counselor for Aphrodite cabin.**

"You would think being a child of Aphrodite meant that you know everything there is to know about relationships but well..." Lacy trailed off and looked down in embarrassment.

Aphrodite glanced at her daughter. Feeling self-conscious (something she hadn't felt in _centuries_ ), she twirled her hair around her finger.

"Er... tha- that's silly, you're human just like everyone else." she giggled nervously.

Lacy gave her a small smile. "I know, right!"

Hephaestus and the other gods made faces at the small exchange. Did Aphrodite, the overconfident goddess of love, just stutter?

_The world must be ending soon._ Hephaestus thought dryly as he continued reading.

**Other campers at Camp Half-Blood came to her for advice all the time. Piper had tried to do her best, but with her own boyfriend, she was clueless. She was constantly second-guessing herself, reading too much into Jason's expressions, his moods, his offhand** **comments. Why did it have to be so hard? Why couldn't there be a happily-ever-after ride-into-the-** **sunset feeling all the time?**

"No kidding," Annabeth agreed with a sigh.

**"What are you thinking?" Jason asked.**

**..."Nothing," she said. "I mean...a lot of things. Kind of all at once."**

**Jason laughed. The scar on his lip almost disappeared when he smiled. Considering all the stuff he'd been through, it was amazing that he could be in such a good mood.**

"That's Jay for you," Thalia smiled.

**"It's going to work out," he promised. "You said so yourself."**

**"Yeah," Piper agreed. "Except I was just saying that to make Annabeth feel better."**

**Jason shrugged. "Still, it's true. We're almost to the ancient lands. We've left the Romans behind."**

**"And now they're on their way to Camp Half-Blood to attack our friends."**

The demigods winced.

The gods reared back as if they had been slapped.

**Jason hesitated, as if it was hard for him to put a positive spin on that.**

"There's nothing you can really say to make this better." Nico said grimly.

The demigods slumped in agreement.

Leo shifted uncomfortably. 

"I mean, my distraction will slow them down." he said lamely, swinging his legs back and forth. "And I'm sure Reyna's doing whatever she can to slow things down..."

"You really think she'd do that?" Connor sighed. "She said the next time we'd meet, we'd be enemies."

"Yeah, but that's because she doesn't have a choice. Reyna doesn't want this war, remember?" Leo insisted.

"I just hope that's enough," Percy admitted with a sigh.

**"Chiron will find a way to stall them. The Romans might take weeks to actually find the camp and plan their attack. Besides, Reyna will do what she can to slow things down. She's still on our side. I know she is."**

**"You trust her." Piper's voice sounded hollow, even to herself.**

"Well, they were friends. He knows her better than anyone else." Thalia pointed out.

**"Look, Pipes. I told you, you've got nothing to be jealous about."**

**"She's beautiful. She's powerful. She's so...Roman."**

"You're all that too... Except Roman..." Lacy added as an afterthought.

**Jason put down his hammer. He took her hand, which sent a tingle up her arm.**

The Cabin Ten girls cooed.

Despite her feelings, Aphrodite couldn't help but grin.

**Piper's dad had once taken her to the Aquarium of the Pacific and shown her an electric eel. He told her that the eel sent out pulses that shocked and paralyzed its prey. Every time Jason looked at her or touched her hand, Piper felt like that.**

_"Aaaawww!"_ the Aphrodite girls said in unison.

The hunters exchanged confused expressions.

"Does she mean that in a good way or a bad way?" Celin muttered to Phoebe.

She shook her head. "Sounds dangerous."

**" _You're_ beautiful and powerful," he said. "And I don't want you to be Roman. I want you to be Piper. Besides, we're a team, you and me."**

"That's so sweet," an Aphrodite girl sighed. A few of her siblings nodded in agreement.

**She wanted to believe him. They'd been together, really, for months now. Still, she couldn't get rid of her doubts, any more than Jason could get rid of the SPQR tattoo burned on his forearm.**

The Aphrodite children groaned.

"C'mon Piper, Jason _loves_ you. How much more proof do you need?" an Aphrodite girl said with a sigh.

**Above them, the ship's bell rang for dinner.**

**Jason smirked. "We'd better get up there. We don't want Coach Hedge tying bells around our necks."**

"I don't know... That would be kinda funny..." Hermes mused.

"Funny for you..." Leo muttered under his breath. He'd never be able to get things done at night with some stupid bell tied around his neck. Where did Coach Hedge even get that idea anyway?

**Piper shuddered. Coach Hedge had threatened to do that after the Percy/Annabeth scandal, so he'd know if anyone sneaked out at night.**

**"Yeah," she said regretfully, looking at the glass doors below their feet. "I guess we need  
dinner...and a good night's sleep."**

"Finished," Hephaestus said. "Who's next?"

"I'll read again," Chris said with a shrug. He took the book and sat back down.

" **Piper XXVI** ," he began.


	26. Piper XXVI

" **Piper XXVI** ," Chris read.

**THE NEXT MORNING PIPER WOKE to a different ship's horn—a blast so loud it literally shook her out of bed.**

The readers tensed.

"Pirates?" Percy guessed. He inwardly groaned. After their last fight, they couldn't afford another battle so soon.

Looking up from his zipper, Leo shook his head.

"Nope," he frowned. _Not yet at least._

Leo subconsciously rubbed his forehead. Other than being dog-piled by a bunch of man-dolphins, he could barely remember what happened during the invasion. If his friends hadn't told him it was real, he would've brushed the whole thing off as some weird fever dream.

 _A lot of the situations I get thrown into feel like a fever dream..._ he thought, looking around the room at the others.

**She wondered if Leo was pulling another joke.**

"Not this time," Leo grinned.

"Then what is it?" Annabeth said tightly.

 _If this is another god who wants us to do something for them, I swear..._ Percy silently rolled his eyes.

**Then the horn boomed again. It sounded like it was coming from several hundred yards away—from another vessel.**

**She rushed to get dressed. By the time she got up on deck, the others had already gathered—all hastily dressed except for Coach Hedge, who had pulled the night watch.**

**Frank's Vancouver Winter Olympics shirt was inside out.**

"It's one of those mornings," Travis joked. Despite the situation, he snickered. Able to relate, a few of the demigods smiled, relaxing a bit.

**Percy wore pajama pants and a bronze breastplate, which was an interesting fashion statement.**

Percy couldn't help but grin. "Thanks, I'm what you call a 'trend-setter'."

Thalia snorted.

"As if!" she teased with a smile.

**Hazel's hair was all blown to one side, as though she'd walked through a cyclone; and Leo had accidentally set himself on fire. His T-shirt was in charred tatters. His arms were smoking.**

"The horn surprised me!" the teen said defensively over the demigods' laughter.

**About a hundred yards to port, a massive cruise ship glided past.**

Thinking about the _Princess Andromeda_ , the laughter abruptly ended. Annabeth stiffened and Percy stared straight ahead, determined not to look where he and Luke had fought.

Hermes slumped forward in his throne, as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Leo looked around at them with a confused frown.

"Uh... guys?" he asked. "You okay?"

"...Fine." Chris said with a heavy sigh. He continued reading without further explanation.

**Tourists waved at them from fifteen or sixteen rows of balconies. Some smiled and took pictures.**

Thinking about the happy oblivious tourists on Luke's cruise ship, Grover, Annabeth, and Percy shuddered.

Leo noticed and his frown deepened. _What's up with them?_

He turned to the Stolls to ask, but the closed off expressions on their faces made him think now wasn't the right time. Even Leo's siblings didn't seem to be in the mood for talking at the moment.

The son of Hephaestus awkwardly busied himself by searching through his tool belt.

 **None of them looked surprised to see an Ancient Greek trireme. Maybe the Mist made it look like a fishing boat, or perhaps the cruisers thought the** **_Argo II_ ** **was a tourist attraction.**

"With the Mist, it's anyone's guess." Thalia said shortly, plucking her bowstring.

"Whatever they saw, I hope it made some awesome pictures." Leo tried to joke, rolling a ball of clay. His joke ended as well as he thought it would with silent reception.

Leo ducked his head and broke his clay into three circles.

**The cruise ship blew its horn again, and the Argo II had a shaking fit.**

**Coach Hedge plugged his ears. "Do they have to be so loud?"**

**"They're just saying hi," Frank speculated.**

**"WHAT?" Hedge yelled back.**

Leo forced himself to laugh. Being the only one, he couldn't help but feel self-conscious.

**The ship edged past them, heading out to sea. The tourists kept waving. If they found it strange that the Argo II was populated by half-asleep kids in armor and pajamas and a man with goat legs, they didn't let on.**

"They've probably seen some weirder things out at sea..." Leo pretended to muse, adding the finishing touches to his snowman.

"Not as weird as what we've seen..." Percy said, still a bit distant.

**"Bye!" Leo called, raising his smoking hand.**

**"Can I man the ballistae?" Hedge asked.**

_Coach, why are you like this?_ Leo thought with a sigh, squishing the clay creation flat.

**"No," Leo said through a forced smile.**

**Hazel rubbed her eyes and looked across the glittering green water. "Where are—oh...Wow."**

**...Without the cruise ship blocking their view, she saw a mountain jutting from the sea less than half a mile to the north.**

With the cruise ship gone, the readers were able to fully relax and take in the description.

Leo still didn't quite get it, but he was glad that everyone was feeling better.

**Piper had seen impressive cliffs before. She'd driven Highway 1 along the California coast. She'd even fallen down the Grand Canyon with Jason and flown back up. But neither was as amazing as this massive fist of blinding white rock thrust into the sky.**

Annabeth's eyes widened. Even more impressive than those?

**On one side, the limestone cliffs were almost completely sheer, dropping into the sea over a thousand feet below, as near as Piper could figure. On the other side, the mountain sloped in tiers, covered in green forest, so that the whole thing reminded Piper of a colossal sphinx, worn down over the millennia, with a massive white head and chest, and a green cloak over its back.**

Feeling a sense of nostalgia, the gods' forms flickered.

The demigods listened to the description in awe.

"Where are they?" Katie asked.

"The Rock of Gibraltar," Hermes said. "They're heading in between the tip of Spain and Africa- Morocco if you want to be specific. They're at the mouth of the Mediterranean."

"We're nearly there..." Annabeth said, feeling a shiver of anticipation.

The demigods couldn't help but break out into smiles. The worst was over, they were about to head to Rome.

"Finally!" Travis perked up.

Will let out a silent sigh of relief.

"Rome, here we come!" Connor cheered.

**The morning was warm, but Piper shivered. Despite the wide stretch of sea in front of them, she felt like she was standing at an impassable barrier.**

The demigods' smiles wavered.

**Once in the Mediterranean—the Mare Nostrum— they would be in the ancient lands. If the legends were true, their quest would become ten times more dangerous.**

"Oh yeah..." Travis said, slowly frowning.

 _Even worse than what we already went through?_ Percy shuddered.

Not feeling as cheerful, the other teens exchanged uneasy glances.

**"What now?" she asked. "Do we just sail in?"**

"Well, we don't have much of a choice..." Percy said with a sigh.

**...Annabeth gazed at the Rock of Gibraltar. Piper recognized that brooding expression on her friend's face. It almost always meant that she anticipated trouble.**

**"In the old days," Annabeth said, "they called this area the pillars of Hercules. The Rock was** **supposed to be one pillar. The other was one of the African mountains. Nobody is sure which one."**

Artemis and her hunters scowled.

Percy narrowed his eyes.

The other demigods beamed.

" _Wait!"_ Lacy said excitedly. "Hercules, like, _the Hercules?"_

"That's the one..." Leo said without any enthusiasm. _The same nut job who was hurling coconuts at my ship..._

Connor was smiling from ear to ear. "So does that mean that Hercules is somewhere on one of those pillars?"

"Yes, after he died, Heracules became a minor god and put in charge of guarding the doorway to Olympus. He's been doing it ever since." Hera explained with a satisfied smirk.

The demigods began eagerly whispering to each other.

" _Guys,"_ Travis said to Annabeth and Percy. "You're actually going to meet him! _The_ Hercules!"

"You're so lucky!" Katie enthused.

"Yeah... _lucky."_ Percy said flatly. Annabeth gave him a confused glance, but she wasn't happy about the situation either.

"I know it sounds amazing, but if Hercules is guarding our only way in, we're basically at his mercy." Annabeth told the others. She frowned. "He could either turn us away immediately or put us through some test to prove our worthiness."

"Just like his Twelve Labors?" a demigod happily suggested.

Annabeth's frown deepened as she played with her necklace. "I guess... Only not as long... I hope.

Meanwhile the hunters were watching the demigods chatter with eye rolls and sighs.

"Heracules hasn't even appeared in the story yet and they're already fawning over him." Naomi snorted, watching in disdain as two boys were animatedly talked about their hero's lion skin and the story behind it.

"That's because they don't know the real him." Thalia said, arms crossed. She raised an eyebrow as the Aphrodite girls started loudly debating how huge Hercules' pecs were. "Don't worry, they'll get their wake-up call soon."

At the demigods' insistence, Chris's conversation with Jake was cut short and he started reading once again.

**"Hercules, huh?" Percy frowned. "That guy was like the Starbucks of Ancient Greece. Everywhere you turn—there he is."**

**A thunderous** **_boom_ ** **shook the** **_Argo II,_ ** **though Piper wasn't sure where it came from this time. She didn't see any other ships, and the skies were clear.**

The demigods hesitated.

"Um... What was that?" Travis said, smile wavering.

"I don't now..." Annabeth said slowly. "Maybe that's some kind of alarm to let Hercules know demigods are coming?"

She turned to Leo, but he shrugged.

"Could be, I never found out." he said, making a clay person.

**Her mouth suddenly felt dry. "So...these Pillars of Hercules. Are they dangerous?"**

"I mean, they would have to be if Hercules was guarding them," Connor considered.

**[Annabeth]... "For Greeks, the pillars marked the end of the known world. The Romans said the pillars were inscribed with a Latin warning—"**

**"Non plus ultra," Percy said.**

Surprised, the demigods turned to Percy.

Annabeth blinked. "How did you know that?"

The son of Poseidon shrugged.

"I guess I'm just that smart." he said with a grin.

**Annabeth looked stunned. "Yeah. Nothing Further Beyond. How did you know?"**

**Percy pointed. "Because I'm looking at it."**

The demigods laughed.

**Directly ahead of them, in the middle of the straits, an island had shimmered into existence. Piper was positive no island had been there before. It was a small hilly mass of land, covered in forests and ringed with white beaches. Not very impressive compared to Gibraltar, but in front of the island, jutting from waves about a hundred yards offshore, were two white Grecian columns as tall as the Argo's masts. Between the columns, huge silver words glittered underwater—maybe an illusion, or maybe inlaid in the sand: NON PLUS ULTRA.**

"Yeah, that's pretty hard to miss," Travis snickered.

**"Guys, do I turn around?" Leo asked nervously. "Or..."**

"Nowhere left to go but forward," Percy said.

**No one answered—maybe because, like Piper, they had noticed the figure standing on the beach.**

Some of the demigods breaths hitched.

Lacy was bouncing excitedly in her chair.

**As the ship approached the columns, she saw a dark-haired man in purple robes, his arms crossed, staring intently at their ship as if he were expecting them. Piper couldn't tell much else about him from this distance, but judging from his posture, he wasn't happy.**

_How's the morning shift, hero?_ Hera thought with a sneer.

Artemis glowered at the book.

The hunters, Annabeth, and Percy stiffened.

"It's Hercules!" an Aphrodite girl excitedly shrieked, her sisters soon joined her with the other demigods exchanging grins.

"You realize the book says he doesn't look happy to see them right?" Phoebe pointed out. The Aphrodite girl who was shrieking before scoffed.

"Of course he doesn't look happy to see them, he's a _guard._ He's supposed to look intimidating when passerbys."

"Like British Royal Guards!" another Aphrodite child offered.

Their sister beamed. "Right!"

Seeing that Phoebe was about to argue, Thalia silently shook her head.

"There's no point," she muttered to the hunter. "They're too star struck."

Phoebe squeezed her bow and scowled. "It's so annoying."

**Frank inhaled sharply. "Could that be—?"**

**"Hercules," Jason said. "The most powerful demigod of all time."**

The whispers from the demigods grew louder. The Aphrodite children were laughing and pushing each other around.

"I still can't believe you guys are about to meet Hercules!" Connor said in awe. He nudged Leo, causing him to drop a piece of his clay. "Dude! I'm so jealous!"

"Technically I didn't meet him." Leo said, stretching his clay as far as he could. "Piper and Jay did."

The Stoll momentarily frowned. "Oh..." he didn't look like he knew what else to say. "Well... you kinda got a glimpse of him, that's... pretty cool."

He said it in such a comforting way Leo wanted to laugh. As if he wanted to meet that jerk!

"It's fine, Hercules is overrated anyway." Leo grinned, earning a snort from the other boy.

"Whatever man."

 **The** **_Argo II_ ** **was only a few hundred yards from the columns now.**

**"Need an answer," Leo said urgently. "I can turn, or we can take off. The stabilizers are working again.**

"Oh thank gods," Jake said with a sigh.

**But I need to know quick—"**

"Full speed ahead!" a demigod shouted, earning loud _'Yeah's_ from the others.

Artemis pinched the bridge of her nose.

The hunters groaned at the demigods antics.

**"We have to keep going," Annabeth said. "I think he's guarding these straits. If that's really Hercules, sailing or flying away wouldn't do any good. He'll want to talk to us."**

**Piper resisted the urge to use charmspeak. She wanted to yell at Leo:** **_Fly! Get us out of here!_ **

"No way! This is going to be so cool!" Travis said, hardly able to contain himself. They were actually about to meet the hero of Greek heroes. The boy was fidgeting so fast, he accidently bumped into his brother in the process.

**Unfortunately, she had a feeling that Annabeth was right. If they wanted to pass into the Mediterranean, they couldn't avoid this meeting.**

**"Won't Hercules be on our side?" she asked hopefully. "I mean...he's one of us, right?"**

"Of course he is! Once Hercules hears about why you're on this quest, he'll be sure to let you through!" Lacy reassured Percy, Annabeth, and Leo.

The three just exchanged glances.

**Jason grunted. "He was a son of Zeus, but when he died, he became a god. You can never be sure with gods."**

**Piper remembered their meeting with Bacchus in Kansas—**

Dionysus winced, his form briefly flickering.

**another god who used to be a demigod. He hadn't been exactly helpful.**

"He's different. You'll see," Mitchell said dismissively, a few demigods nodded along with him.

**"Great," Percy said. "Seven of us against Hercules."**

"That would be a nightmare," Percy said, grimacing at the thought. He might not like the guy, but he knew that fighting Hercules and winning was next to impossible. The guy was able to juggle drakons when he was a _demigod_ , Percy could only imagine the strength he gained once he became an immortal.

**"And a satyr!" Hedge added. "We can take him."**

Now all the readers collectively winced.

"Yeah, no offense, but maybe you're better off just talking it out with him instead of fighting your way through." Mitchell said.

"Right." Annabeth agreed.

**...Annabeth said. "We send ambassadors ashore. A small group—one or two at most. Try to talk with him."**

Percy frowned. "Okay, but who's going to go?"

**"I'll go," Jason said. "He's a son of Zeus. I'm the son of Jupiter. Maybe he'll be friendly to me."**

**"Or maybe he'll hate you," Percy suggested. "Half brothers don't always get along."**

"You and Tyson get along," Annabeth pointed out with a shrug. "It's worth a try. Besides, now they have some common ground."

"I hope that's enough..." Percy said, still frowning.

**..."It's worth a shot," Annabeth said. "At least Jason and Hercules have something in common. And we need our best diplomat. Somebody who's good with words."**

"Well, that one's obvious!" Aphrodite said proudly.

**All eyes turned to Piper.**

Members of Cabin Ten smiled and whispered to each other.

"First she's dating Jason, now she's meeting Hercules!" one whispered. "She's so lucky!"

"I know, right?" another sighed. "Some girls get all the luck!"

**She tried to avoid screaming and jumping over the side. A bad premonition gnawed at her gut.**

"Don't worry, you got this!" Lacy encouraged, jumping up and down in her chair.

**But if Jason was going ashore, she wanted to be with him. Maybe this hugely powerful god would turn out to be helpful. They had to have good luck once in a while, didn't they?**

"Don't jinx it," Chris warned.

**"Fine," she said. "Just let me change my clothes."**

The demigods could hardly sit still.

"I can't wait!" Connor exclaimed, shaking his brother's shoulder.

**Once Leo had anchored the Argo II between the pillars, Jason summoned the wind to carry him and Piper ashore.**

**The man in purple was waiting for them.**

**Piper had heard tons of stories about Hercules. She'd seen several cheesy movies and cartoons. Before today, if she had thought about him at all, she'd just roll her eyes and imagine some stupid hairy dude in his thirties with a barrel chest and a gross hippie beard, with a lion skin over his head and a big club, like a caveman. She imagined he would smell bad, belch, and scratch himself a lot, and speak mostly in grunts.**

"That's pretty much every single Heracules movie except Disney's..." Hermes mused.

Hades subtly cringed at the mention of that accursed film.

 **She was not expecting** **_this._ ** **...He was well built, but not too stocky. His ebony hair was close-cropped, Roman style. He had startling blue eyes like Jason's, but his skin was coppery, as if he'd spent his entire life on a tanning bed. The most surprising thing: he looked about twenty. Definitely no older.**

The Aphrodite girls swooned.

"He's just like how I _imagined!"_ an Aphrodite girl sighed fondly.

Celin made a big show of gagging, earning giggles from the other hunters.

**He was handsome in a rugged but not-at-all-caveman way. He did in fact have a club,**

This was apparently very good news, judging by the excited gasps from the Hercules fans.

"Oh my gods! He has the club!" Mitchell exclaimed.

"But where's his lion skin?" Nico couldn't help but notice. In Mythomagic, Hercules with his legendary lion skin was impervious to physical attacks for three whole rounds. It would have been a game-breaking card if it wasn't susceptible to magic, but it helped Nico win a couple close games. To hear a hero he so closely recognized as wearing a lion skin made him frown in confusion.

"Well, it is summer time. It would be too hot for him to wear it right now." Will pointed out.

Nico felt his face flush in embarrassment. "Oh, right."

He suddenly found his shoes interesting.

**which lay in the sand next to him, but it was more like an oversized baseball bat—a five-foot-long polished cylinder of mahogany with a leather handgrip studded in bronze. Coach Hedge would have been jealous.**

The Stolls snickered at that.

**Jason and Piper landed at the edge of the surf. They approached slowly, careful not to make any threatening moves. Hercules watched them with no particular emotion, as if they were some form of seabird he had never noticed before.**

Sitting at the edge of their seats, the demigods held their breaths.

**"Hello," Piper said. Always a good start.**

"You can never mess up with that," Apollo admitted.

**"What's up?" Hercules said. His voice was deep but casual, very modern. He could've been greeting them in the high school locker room.**

The Aphrodite girls sighed dreamily.

**"Uh, not much." Piper winced. "Well, actually, a lot. I'm Piper. This is Jason. We-"**

**"Where's your lion skin?" Jason interrupted.**

Thalia groaned and smacked her forehead. " _Jason,_ not you too."

 _No wonder why he wanted to go,_ she inwardly groaned.

"Great, another Heracules fanboy," Naomi sighed, resting her head in her hands.

**Piper wanted to elbow him, but Hercules looked more amused than annoyed.**

**"It's ninety degrees out here," he said. "Why would I wear my lion skin? Do you wear a fur coat to the beach?"**

**"I guess that makes sense." Jason sounded disappointed. "It's just that the pictures always show you with a lion skin."**

"It's pretty awesome," Travis remarked. "Impracticality invincible against weapons and great for staying warm during cold nights."

"Too bad it wasn't enough to save the lion from Hercules," Chris chuckled before he continued reading.

**Hercules glared at the sky accusingly, like he wanted to have words with his father, Zeus.**

"Of course you can! Why don't you come over to New York and visit?" Hera said smugly. "I'll lead you to my husband personally."

Zeus glared at her. His expression seemed to say: _I know exactly what you're saying and I don't like it._

His wife smiled serenely back.

The goddess's comment earned her confused glances from the demigods.

"What does she mean by that?" Lacy whispered to her brother. "She's saying it like he can't come here... Like he's not allowed or something..."

Mitchell crossed his arms. "That can't be it. He's a god, he can go wherever he wants."

**"Don't believe everything you hear about me. Being famous isn't as fun as you might think."**

"He's so modest," an Aphrodite girl giggled.

Phoebe pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed heavily.

**"Tell me about it," Piper sighed.**

**Hercules fixed those brilliant blue eyes on her. "Are you famous?"**

**"My dad...he's in the movies."**

"It's funny how so far Piper and Hercules relate more than him and Jason," Percy remarked.

"I didn't think something like this would happen, but I'm glad it's something they're using to their advantage." Annabeth said.

Leo tossed his clay up and down in the air.

 **Hercules snarled. "Don't get me started with the movies. Gods of Olympus, they never get** **_anything_ ** **right. Have you seen one movie about me where I look like me?"**

"I mean, they don't get the looks right, but you've got some good films. A few of them got some catchy songs," Apollo mused. He perked up. "Like that one song! How does it go again? _Bless my soul, Herc was on a roll! Person of the week in every Greek opinion poll!"_

The gods groaned as Apollo continued singing. Even though his singing was perfectly on key, Artemis dramatically covered her ears.

"Great, just when I finally forgot the lyrics," she glared daggers at the book.

Apollo wrapped his arm around her and pulled the goddess into a hug. "C'mon, Artie! You know how it goes: _And they slapped his face on every vaise!"_

"On every _vase_ ," Artemis corrected, before she realized her mistake. Her eyes widened but it was too late, Apollo heard her and was beaming as brightly as the sun.

As the god continued singing (stopping occasionally to encourage his sister to join him), Hades couldn't help but roll his eyes at Hercules' remark.

"At least they portray you in a positive light," he complained. "I can't think of a single movie where I'm not evil."

"I don't see that as inaccurate, you did after all _kidnap_ your wife!" Demeter sneered, narrowing her eyes at the god.

The goddess quickly broke out into a one-sided argument with Hades finding it harder and harder not to shout back.

The between Apollo's obnoxious singing and Demeter's screeching, it became too much for Zeus. Thunder rumbled ahead, causing the two to stop.

"That's enough!" he snapped at the immortals. Giving them a stern glare, he signaled Chris to continue reading.

**Piper had to admit he had a point. "I'm surprised you're so young."**

"He could've changed his appearance, he is a god." Percy pointed out.

 **"Ha! Being immortal helps. But, yes, I wasn't so old when I died. Not by modern standards. I did** **a lot during my years as a hero...too much, really."** **His eyes drifted to Jason. "Son of Zeus, eh?"**

"Jupiter," Thalia corrected impatiently.

Zeus winced and his form flickered.

**..."Not much difference," Hercules grumbled. "Dad's annoying in either form.**

Cradling his head, the god gave the book a scowl.

 **Me? I was called Heracles. Then the Romans came along and named me Hercules.** **I didn't really change that much, though lately just thinking about it gives me splitting headaches..."**

**..."At any rate," Hercules said, "if you're Jupiter's son, you might understand. It's a lot of pressure. Enough is never enough. Eventually it can make a guy snap."**

**He turned to Piper. She felt like a thousand ants were crawling up her back. There was a mixture of sadness and darkness in his eyes that seemed not quite sane, and definitely not safe.**

A few of the demigods shuddered. Some shifted uncomfortably in their chairs.

Annabeth and Percy stiffened.

With a grimace, Leo couldn't help but be reminded of King Midas; a guy who knew he was crazy and accepted his madness.

"Uh... Is he okay?" Travis asked tentatively, none of the others had an answer for that.

" _Mmmayybbbee_ he was right about taking too many quests..." Will said, feeling nervous.

**"As for you, my dear," Hercules said, "be careful. Sons of Zeus can be...well, never mind."**

Caught off guard, the demigods were frowning.

"Sons of Zeus can be what?" Katie asked. Her eyebrows furrowed. "What was he about to say?"

"Nothing," Thalia said, glaring daggers at the book. "He's just saying that to mess with Piper's head."

"But why would he do that?" Lacy asked uneasily. "They're just talking."

"It always starts off as 'just talking', soon he's going to either turn them against each other for his own entertainment." Celin said darkly.

The demigods froze.

"Huh?" Connor said, feeling lost. "For his own entertainment?"

"What do you mean?" Chris asked, already dreading the answer.

"Let's just say, Hercules isn't the hero you thought he was..." Artemis said tightly.

**Piper wasn't sure what that meant. Suddenly she wanted to get as far from this god as possible,**

The demigods were slowly starting to think she had the right idea.

**but she tried to maintain a calm, polite expression.**

**"So, Lord Hercules," she said, "we're on a quest. We'd like permission to pass into the Mediterranean."**

**Hercules shrugged. "That's why I'm here. After I died, Dad made me the doorkeeper of Olympus.** **I said,** ** _Great! Palace duty! Party all the time!_**

Hera was smiling from ear to ear, waiting for the punch-line.

Apollo chuckled. "He really thought that?"

"Who told him that lie? Everyone knows guard duty is boring! That's why Dad gave it to him in the first place." Hermes chuckled.

"Nonsense! I gave him an honorable title and granted him immortality!" Zeus said as confidently as he could, but even as he did, he knew he had deceived his son. Hera would not have been able to stomach Hercules being rewarded after all he went through and Hercules had been rightly expecting godhood for his accomplishments. When he had suggested the position, he thought it was the perfect middle with the two being happy but it seemed his son is once again living in a personal hell.

The god heavily sighed.

**What he didn't mention is that I'd be guarding the doors to the ancient lands, stuck on this island for the rest of eternity. Lots of fun."**

Hera burst out laughing like that was the funniest thing she heard in centuries. Zeus glared at her. 

"We thought you knew." Poseidon said with a shrug. "We kept saying 'Are you sure?' and you kept saying 'Yes, yes, I deserve it!'"

"And we gave it to you," Hermes shrugged. "Not our fault that you can't make good deals."

"He was always so impulsive, he could never be a farmer." Demeter sniffed.

 **He pointed at the pillars rising from the surf. "Stupid columns. Some people claim I created the whole Strait of Gibraltar by shoving mountains apart. Some people say the mountains are the pillars. What a bunch of Augean manure. The pillars are** **_pillars."_ **

"Can we pass now?" Percy said bluntly.

**...The god scratched his fashionable beard. "Well, I have to give you the standard warning about how dangerous the ancient lands are. Not just any demigod can survive the Mare Nostrum. Because of that, I have to give you a quest to complete. Prove your worth, blah, blah, blah.**

The demigods groaned.

"Seriously, we're on a life or death quest, how much more do we need to do?" Percy complained.

"C'mon man, don't do that," Travis whined. "I thought you were cool."

 **Honestly, I don't make a big deal of it. Usually I give demigods something simple like a shopping trip, singing a funny song, that sort of thing. After all those labors I had to complete for my evil cousin Eurystheus, well...I don't want to be** **_that guy_ ** **, you know?"**

The demigods stopped complaining and perked up. They couldn't help but feel relieved by the god's words. They knew Hercules was a hero!

"Seriously? Alright! Hercules is the man!" Travis cheered. "I take back what I said!"

"I knew he wasn't that bad," Lacy said brightly. "He's _Hercules!"_

"Yeah, he's one of us!" Connor agreed.

The hunters sighed, a few buried their faces in their hands.

Percy frowned. "Is he really doing this out of the kindness of his heart? What's the catch?"

Annabeth looked hesitant to believe the god as well. "Maybe he doesn't see the point because of how dangerous Rome is...He's probably thinking, what's the point in sending us on a suicide mission when we're already going to die on this quest?"

He grimaced. "Maybe..."

**"Appreciate it," Jason said.**

**"Hey, no problem." Hercules sounded relaxed and easygoing, but he still made Piper nervous. That dark glint in his eyes reminded her of charcoal soaked in kerosene, ready to go up at a moment's notice.**

**"So anyway," Hercules said, "what's your quest?"**

"Oh nothing, just saving the world, defeating giants. Ya'know the usual," Percy said sarcastically. "We only have a couple days to get this done and you're kinda wasting our time, so if you'll just let us through-"

**..."Giants," Hercules muttered. "I hate those guys. Back when I was a demigod hero...ah, but never mind. So which god put you up to this—Dad? Athena? Maybe Aphrodite?" He raised an eyebrow at Piper. "As pretty as you are, I'm guessing that's your mom."**

**..."Hera sent us," Jason said. "She brought us together to—"**

As soon as the goddess's name was spoken, the gods grimaced.

"Oh Fates," Hermes groaned.

"Did he really have to mention 'She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named'?" Apollo said in exasperation.

**"Hera." Suddenly Hercules's expression was like the cliffs of Gibraltar—a solid, unforgiving sheet of stone.**

The demigods stiffened.

"Er... Did he say 'Hera'? He meant Hera's _sister_ , Hestia!" Travis hastily assured.

"Just a slip of the tongue!" Connor quickly added.

**"We hate her too," Piper said quickly.**

Hera rolled her eyes.

 **Gods, why hadn't it occurred to her? Hera had been** **Hercules's mortal enemy. "We didn't want to help her. She didn't give us much choice, but—"**

**"But here you are," Hercules said, all friendliness gone. "Sorry, you two. I don't care how worthy your quest is. I don't do anything that Hera wants. Ever."**

"But the giants..." Lacy whimpered.

"C'mon man, if they don't do this the world's going to end." Travis pleaded.

"He wouldn't care, he's spending the rest of his life stuck on this island." Artemis pointed out.

"He's selfish." Celin stated.

**Jason looked mystified. "But I thought you made up with her when you became a god."**

"Ha! Made up, for what? I have nothing to apologize for," Hera sneered.

**"Like I said," Hercules grumbled, "don't believe everything you hear. If you want to pass into the Mediterranean, I'm afraid I've got to give you an extra-hard quest."**

The demigods groaned.

"So much for being one of us..." Will sighed. "You'd think he'd remember being forced to do those dumb Twelve Labors."

"I know right, I thought he didn't want to be _'that guy'._ " Percy said with air quotes.

 **"But we're like brothers," Jason protested.** **"Hera's messed with my life, too. I understand—"**

**"You understand nothing," Hercules said coldly.**

The teens winced.

 **"My first family: dead. My life wasted on ridiculous quests. My second wife dead, after being tricked into poisoning me and leaving me to a painful demise. And my compensation? I got to become a** **_minor god._ ** **Immortal, so I can never forget my pain. Stuck here as a gatekeeper, a doorman, a...a butler for the Olympians.**

"You asked for this," Hera said unsympathetically. "You had a choice between a life of hardship and glory or a life of ease and comfort. You chose the first and these are the consequences."

She shrugged. "But look on the bright side _hero_ , at least you have some decent film adaptations."

**No, you don't understand. The only god who understands me even a little bit is Dionysus.**

Dionysus groaned and hid his face behind his magazine. "Don't bring me up in this mess."

**And at least he invented something useful. I have nothing to show except bad film adaptations of my life."**

"Hey! Disney's _Hercules_ is a cult classic!" Apollo protested.

"It sucks that you had to go through that and all," Mitchell said, ignoring the sun god's remark. "But that doesn't mean you take that out on us."

"That's how he is. Hercules is a miserable person and he likes to make people around him just as miserable." Phoebe said.

Connor made a face. "What a jerk."

**Piper turned on the charmspeak. "That's horribly sad, Lord Hercules. But please go easy on us. We're not bad people."**

**She thought she'd succeeded. Hercules hesitated. Then his jaw tightened, and he shook his head.**

"Of course not." Annabeth sighed.

**"On the opposite side of this island, over those hills, you'll find a river. In the middle of that river lives the old god Achelous."**

**Hercules waited, as if this information should send them running in terror.**

**"And... ?" Jason asked.**

**"And," Hercules said, "I want you to break off his other horn and bring it to me."**

Percy frowned. "Other horn?"

"Wait... hold on..." Mitchell said slowly, eyebrows furrowed. "Wasn't that one of the quests Hercules did?"

"Yes, Hercules' second wife, Deianira, was going to marry Achelous, until Hercules torn off one of his horns and humiliated him, making Deianira chose Hercules over him." Annabeth recalled. Her eyes widened in realization. " _Wait..._ Achelous... the bull-man! That's the guy who was in Piper's vision!"

"The bull guy in the water," Percy mused. "That makes sense."

"But why does Hercules want them to take his other horn?" Lacy asked. "Hasn't he already got what he wanted from him?"

"To humiliate him all over again." Artemis muttered. _He's pathetic._

**"He has horns," Jason said. "Wait...his other horn? What—?"**

**"Figure it out," the god snapped. "Here, this should help."**

**He said the word help like it meant** **_hurt_ ** **. From under his robes, Hercules took a small book and tossed it to Piper. She barely caught it.**

 **The book's glossy cover showed a photographic montage of Greek temples and smiling monsters. The Minotaur was giving the thumbs-up. The title read:** **_The Hercules Guide to the Mare Nostrum._ **

The readers made faces at the childish pamphlet.

"Who made this?" Percy wondered.

**"Bring me that horn by sundown," Hercules said. "Just the two of you. No contacting your friends.**

Annabeth and Percy scowled.

**Your ship will remain where it is. If you succeed, you may pass into the Mediterranean."**

**"And if we don't?" Piper asked, pretty sure she didn't want the answer.**

**"Well, Achelous will kill you, obviously," Hercules said. "And I will break your ship in half with my bare hands and send your friends to an early grave."**

"Our hero, ladies and gentlemen!" Leo said sarcastically. The demigods' faces went pale.

"Oh my gods..." Jake whispered, wringing his hands.

"What's wrong with him? What happened to just letting them through?!" Lacy exclaimed.

"He's crazy!" Katie said, looking horrified.

Connor just sat there stunned, hardly able to believe this was the same Hercules he thought was a hero.

**Jason shifted his feet. "Couldn't we just sing a funny song?"**

"Yeah, _please?"_ Travis squeaked with a nervous laugh, his voice carrying a hint of desperation.

**"I'd get going," Hercules said coldly. "Sundown. Or your friends are dead."**

_"Gods..."_ Percy said, brushing his hair back. He turned to Leo. "And at this point, we have no idea this is happening?"

Leo frowned, flattening his clay in between his hands. "I mean, we knew something went wrong when Piper and Jason started to leave. But we didn't know what happened until Piper Iris Messaged me later."

"At this point all we can do it wait." Annabeth said, squeezing her necklace.

"I still can't believe he has Jason and Piper going on this dumb quest." Connor said, scowling. "What's he even going to do with that horn?"

"Probably going to toss it the moment they give it to him..." Clarisse said, scowling as well.

"Only one way to find out for sure," Chris said and offered her the book. "Do you want to read next?"

Clarisse nodded her head and accepted the book from her boyfriend.

" **Piper XXVII** ," she read.


	27. Piper XXVII

" **Piper XXVII** ," Clarisse read.  
  
 ** _THE HERCULES GUIDE TO THE MARE NOSTRUM_** **didn't help much with snakes and mosquitoes.** the daughter of Ares snorted. "Considering who it came from, I can't imagine that book will be useful for anything."

"No kidding," Connor said, crossing his arms. "I wouldn't be surprised if all that's written in the inside is a big 'Screw You'."

"With a giant middle finger," Leo added.

"That sounds like something he would do," Artemis admitted as Hestia winced at the very idea.

**"If this is a magic island," Piper grumbled, "why couldn't it be a nice magic island?"**

_Not all islands are like Calypso's..._ Leo thought, tossing his clay ball up in the air.

**They tromped up a hill and down into a heavily wooded valley, careful to avoid the black-and-red-striped snakes sunning themselves on the rocks. Mosquitoes swarmed over stagnant ponds in the** **lowest areas. The trees were mostly stunted olives, cypress, and pines. The chirring of the cicadas and** **the oppressive heat reminded Piper of the rez in Oklahoma during the summer.**

"But no river," Percy said flatly.

"It should be nearby, maybe Jason can fly around and look for it." Lacy suggested.

"But they don't know what else is on this island, I don't think it's a good idea for them to split up." Annabeth pointed out.

**"We might miss something," Piper said. "Besides, I'm not sure I want to drop in on an unfriendly god. What was his name? Etch-a-Sketch?"**

**"Achelous." Jason was trying to read the guidebook while they walked, so he kept running into trees and stumbling over rocks.**

"He's going to fall right into the river," Thalia predicted with a sigh.

**"Says here he's a** **_potamus."_ **

**"He's a hippopotamus?"**

Leo laughed. " _Geez,_ and I thought _I_ was bad with words." He smooshed the clay in his fist.

**"No.** **_Potamus._ ** **A river god. According to this, he's the spirit of some river in Greece."**

The demigods frowned.

"But we're not in Greece," Percy said, stating the obvious.

"Please don't tell me that this guy's sending them on some kind of wild goose chase," Jake groaned.

"No, Achelous is there," Athena said. "He moved on the island not too long after Heracles attained godhood."

Annabeth's eyebrows furrowed. "But why would he willingly go to a place where the man who stole his bride and torn off his horn will be staying for all of eternity?"

Apollo rubbed the back of his neck. "Er... I wouldn't go as far to say that he 'willingly' went there."

"Gods move around all the time to places that tie closely to their essence, that's why we're here." the goddess of wisdom waved around the room to emphasize the point. "Whether he likes it or not, Heracles has become a focal point of his essence."

"A fate that no one should have..." Artemis said, feeling sympathetic.

**..."Says Hercules fought him one time," Jason offered.** Clarisse rolled her eyes. "Yeah, him and everyone in Ancient Greece. Is there anything here that's worth mentioning?"

**..."Yeah. Let's see. Pillars of Hercules..." Jason flipped a page. "Says here this island has no hotels, no restaurants, no transportation. Attractions: Hercules and two pillars.**

"Wow, no wonder why this place is such a tourist attraction," Connor said in mock awe.

"We should book our flights right now before they're sold out." Travis said as seriously as he could.

"Great idea, I can't wait to stare at pillars, listen to Hercules mope about his life, and get eaten alive by mosquitoes." Leo added, trying to keep a straight face. "My dream vacation."

Almost immediately, Leo broke character with a snort. He snickered and the Stolls soon joined him.

**Huh, this is interesting. Supposedly the dollar sign—you know, the S with the two lines through it?—that came from the Spanish coat of arms, which showed the Pillars of Hercules with a banner curling between them."**

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "Huh. I didn't know that. That's actually pretty interesting."

"When I said 'worth mentioning', I didn't mean this..." Clarisse grumbled under her breath before continuing to read.

**..."Anything helpful?" she asked.**

**"Wait. Here's a tiny reference to Achelous:** **_This river god fought Hercules for the hand of the beautiful Deianira. During the struggle, Hercules broke off one of the river god's horns, which became the first cornucopia."_ **

"Wait..." Travis narrowed his eyes. "Those Thanksgiving baskets are based off of this guy's broken horn?"

"It's not just a horn. It contains magical properties. When blown, food and drink would flow forth, just as Achelous' powers cause the river to flow." Athena explained.

"That's weird, how'd Hercules figure out it could do that?" Mitchell wondered.

"Tried to play it as an instrument in celebration of winning a bride," Hermes recalled. "He was pretty surprised when pasteli and cheese started pouring out."

**..."And we're supposed to take his other one," Piper said.**

"Yeah and I don't think he's going to let you have this one without a fight..." Percy sighed.

"Well, they do have the element of surprise." Annabeth pointed out. "Maybe that can be the advantage they need."

**"I'm guessing that won't be so easy. Who was Deianira?"**

**"Hercules married her," Jason said. "I think...doesn't say here. But I think something bad happened to her."**

Annabeth and some of the gods winced.

"That's putting it lightly," Artemis grimaced.

Percy wanted to know what happened, but judging by the expression on Annabeth's face, he decided he was better off knowing it was 'something bad'.

**Piper remembered what Hercules had told them: his first family dead, his second wife dead after** **being tricked into poisoning him. She was liking this challenge less and less.**

"Yeah, after hearing about who Hercules really is, I just want them to leave already." Katie admitted with a sigh.

"I don't even want Hercules to get the stupid cornucopia," Percy said with a scowl. "Why does he get to be rewarded with a magical item after threatening to kill us and making Piper and Jason do his dirty work?"

"I know, but they don't have a choice." Thalia said, squeezing the bow in her fists. She looked just as angry about the situation as Percy.

**They trudged across a ridge between two hills, trying to stay in the shade; but Piper was already soaked with perspiration. The mosquitoes left welts on her ankles, arms, and neck, so she probably looked like a smallpox victim.**

Aphrodite, her children, and Will winced. 

"I'm getting itchy just thinking about it," Lacy whined, scratching her arms.

"Where's the bug spray when you need it?" an Aphrodite girl whimpered, scratching her neck.

**She'd finally gotten some alone time with Jason, and _this_ was how they spent it.**

"Next time," Aphrodite said, still grimacing. _When  you're not covered in bug bites._

**She was irritated with Jason for having mentioned Hera, but she knew she shouldn't blame him.** **Maybe she was just irritated with him in general. Ever since Camp Jupiter, she'd been carrying around a lot of worry and resentment.**

_And I bet Hercules earlier comment didn't help either..._ Thalia thought with a frown.

**She wondered what Hercules had wanted to tell her about the sons of Zeus. They couldn't be trusted? They were under too much pressure?**

_Yup, here comes the seeds of doubt._ Thalia's frown deepened.

"Whatever he thought was just him projecting himself on other sons of Zeus," Annabeth said.

"I hope Piper realizes that." Thalia said, plucking her bow string. Piper was already feeling some type of way with Reyna added into the mix, she didn't need Hercules' stupid mind games driving her and Jason apart. They were good for each other.

**Piper tried to imagine Jason becoming a god when he died, standing on some beach guarding the gates to an ocean long after Piper and everyone else he knew in his mortal life were dead.**

Percy grimaced, recalling the gods' offer to grant him godhood. What happened to Hercules could've easily happened to him if he had accepted immortality.

Imagining becoming a bitter god like Hercules made him sick to his stomach. Out of all the times he has been known to be impulsive, Percy was glad he actually thought things through before leaping at the chance of becoming immortal.

**She wondered if Hercules had ever been as positive as Jason—more upbeat, confident, quick to comfort. It was hard to picture.**

"If he was, I can't remember it." Celin sniffed.

"He's only like that when he wants something from someone." Naomi said, scowling.

**As they hiked down into the next valley, Piper wondered what was happening back on the _Argo II_. She was tempted to send an Iris-message, but Hercules had warned them not to contact their friends.**

"Yeah, it's a good idea not to risk it," Annabeth frowned. "He must have some way of knowing when Iris Messages are being made on the island."

**She hoped Annabeth could guess what was going on and didn't try to send another party ashore.**

Annabeth hoped so. She winced as she imagined Percy and Coach Hedge meeting Hercules for the first time. Judging from how well Percy behaved with Bacchus, she wouldn't be surprised if the two decided to attack him right off the bat.

**Piper wasn't sure what Hercules would do if he were bothered further. She imagined Coach Hedge getting impatient and aiming a ballista at the man in purple, or eidolons possessing the crew and forcing them to commit suicide-by-Hercules.**

Everyone shuddered.

"Don't even joke about that." Leo grimaced, brushing his hair back. 

"That can't actually happen. Piper made them promise to never come back," Lacy squeaked, her hands shaking, it was more of a reminder to herself than anyone else.

_But if they're smart, they'll find a way around it._ Annabeth thought, thinking back to what her mother had said. She felt a shiver run down her spine.

**...She didn't know what time it was, but the sun was already starting to sink. How  
had the day passed so quickly?**

The readers groaned.

"Oh my gods, they should've been at Rome searching for Nico by now!" Will said in exasperation, grabbing a fistful of his hair. 

"We _would_ have if stupid Hercules didn't send Piper and Jason on this pointless mission." Percy couldn't help but grumble.

**She would have welcomed sundown for the cooler temperatures, except it was also their deadline. A cool night breeze wouldn't mean much if they were dead. Besides, tomorrow was July 1, the Kalends of July. If their information was correct, it would be Nico di Angelo's last day of life, and the day Rome was destroyed.**

Nico's shoulders slumped and his face fell. He forced himself to ignore the nervous looks he was getting from the others (and angsty whispers). 

Hades' face paled, his eyes widened slightly in alarm.

"We know, we know..." Will squeezed his eyes shut. "Stop reminding us."

"After this, we can't afford any more delays," Annabeth said firmly. "We need to go straight to Rome."

"And fast," the son of Apollo said, unable to keep the urgency out of his voice.

**"Stop," Jason said.**

**Piper wasn't sure what was wrong. Then she realized she could hear running water up ahead.**

"Let's get this over with..." Percy grumbled.

**They crept through the trees and found themselves on the bank of a river. It was maybe forty feet wide but only a few inches deep, a silver sheet of water racing over a smooth bed of stones. A few yards downstream, the rapids plunged into a dark blue swimming hole.**

**Something about the river bothered her. The cicadas in the trees had gone quiet. No birds were chirping. It was as if the water was giving a lecture and would only allow its own voice.**

The gods knowingly grimaced.

Feeling uneasy, the demigods tensed.

"Why is it so quiet?" Lacy stage-whispered.

"He can sense their presence." Athena stated.

"So much for the element of surprise," Thalia grumbled, plucking her bowstring.

Leo pocketed his clay and played with the buttons on his jacket.

**But the more Piper listened, the more inviting the river seemed. She wanted to take a drink. Maybe she should take off her shoes. Her feet could really use a soak. And that swimming hole...it** **would be so nice to jump in with Jason and relax in the shade of the trees, floating in the nice cool water. So romantic.**

"Wait, what?" Travis said, eyebrows furrowed. The other demigods looked just as confused.

"Is..." Mitchell hesitated, not wanting to sound dumb. "The water... _charmspeaking_ her?"

He ducked his head, avoiding the incredulous stares from the others.

"It has limitations, but it's charmspeak." Aphrodite said, saving her son from further embarrassment. She nervously bit her lip. "This could be a trap."

The demigods stiffened.

"But... why would he want to do that?" Annabeth frowned. "He doesn't know that Hercules sent them."

The gods exchanged glances.

"Actually... Piper and Jason weren't the first people he sent to take Achelous' horn." Apollo said.

"He doesn't do this often, but he's has a record of sending travelers to retrieve the horn." Athena admitted, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"And nobody's been able to do it." Percy pieced together, scowling. 

Thalia threw her hands up. " _Great,_ it's just like Hercules to send them on a mission that would lead them to their deaths!"

"They still have a chance," Hestia said softly, grimacing even as she said this. She was fidgeting in her corner.

"A slim chance," Ares snorted, lazily cracking his knuckles. _Too bad Poseidon's brat wasn't sent on this quest._

**Piper shook herself. These thoughts weren't hers. Something was wrong. It almost felt like the river was charmspeaking.**

**Jason sat on a rock and started taking off his shoes. He grinned at the swimming hole like he couldn't wait to get in.**

" _Don't!"_ Thalia said sharply. There's no telling what would happen the moment he set foot in that river. **  
**

**"Cut it out!" Piper yelled at the river.**

**Jason looked startled. "Cut what out?"**

**"Not you," Piper said. "Him."**

The demigods held their breaths. Half of them expecting the god to leap out the water and charge into battle.

**Just when she thought she had lost it and Jason would tell her so, the river spoke: _Forgive me. Singing is one of the few pleasures I have left._**

Caught off guard, the demigods blinked.

"Was he really singing or was that an excuse?" Katie said, unsure what to make of the situation.

"Hard to tell with river gods," Demeter said.

**A figure emerged from the swimming hole as if rising on an elevator.**

**Piper's shoulders tensed. It was the creature she'd seen in her knife blade, the bull with the human face. His skin was as blue as the water. His hooves levitated on the river's surface. At the top of his bovine neck was the head of a man with short curly black hair, a beard done in ringlets Ancient Greek style, deep, mournful eyes behind bifocal glasses, and a mouth that seemed set in a permanent pout.**

"The side effects of being born a bull-man." Hermes simply said.

"I didn't know he has glasses now, it's been ages since I last saw him." Poseidon mused, feeling a bit nostalgic. 

**Sprouting from the left side of his head was a single bull's horn—a curved black-and-white one like warriors might turn into drinking cups. The imbalance made his head tilt to the left, so that he looked like he was trying to get water out of his ear.**

Will couldn't help but frown in concern.

"It must feel miserable," Grover said. He couldn't help but feel sympathetic as he rubbed his own horns. Even though his were small, he couldn't imagine living a life without them. Horns were a satyr's pride and joy.

**"Hello," he said sadly. "Come to kill me, I suppose."**

The demigods balked at the god's bluntness.

_"Woah!"_ Travis exclaimed, holding his hands out in surrender. "Who said anything about killing?! We don't want you dead!"

"It's usually been the other way around." Percy said, eyes wide as dinner plates. 

"But they _are_ trying to take his horn." Celin pointed out.

"But that doesn't mean that they have to _kill_   him!" Katie argued, looking disturbed by the idea. "He hasn't actually done anything to them, it's not his fault that Hercules is making them do this."

"All they need to do is just pull the horn off, no killing necessary." Annabeth said. "He doesn't even need to be awake. Piper can charmspeak him to sleep and rip it off."

Grover shuddered and gripped his horns tighter.

"Do they _really_ have to take his horn?" he whimpered. "Can't they find another way to give Hercules what he wants without actually giving it to him?"

"Yeah, can't they make a fake horn for him or something?" Percy agreed, still not wanting that jerk to have it.

"He won't be so easily fooled, they don't have any other option." Hera said, crossing her arms. "Believe me, if I thought of a way to stop _Heracles_ from getting what he wants, I would've said it by now."

**Jason put his shoes back on and stood slowly. "Um, well—"**

**"No!" Piper intervened. "I'm sorry. This is embarrassing. We didn't want to bother you, but** **Hercules sent us."**

"Don't tell him who sent you! What if he reacts like Hercules did?" Lacy said, panicking.

"I have a feeling he already knew." Annabeth said.

Leo swung his legs back and forth. 

**"Hercules!" The bull-man sighed. His hooves pawed the water as if ready to charge.**  

The demigods stiffened.

**"To me, he'll always be Heracles. That's his Greek name, you know: _the glory of Hera_."**

Said goddess rolled her eyes and scoffed. 

"As if that would have been enough for me to look over such an insult." she muttered to herself, glaring at her husband who was purposely avoiding eye contact.

**"Funny name," Jason said. "Since he hates her."**

"The feeling is mutual." Hera sniffed.

**"Indeed," the bull-man said. "Perhaps that's why he didn't protest when the Romans renamed him** **Hercules. Of course, that's the name most people know him by...his brand, if you will. Hercules is nothing if not image-conscious."**

"With the way he was reacting to his film adaptations, I'm not surprised." Will said. **  
**

**The bull-man spoke with bitterness but familiarity, as if Hercules was an old friend who had lost his way.**

"I'd use the word 'friend' very loosely," Artemis said with a snort.

**"You're Achelous?" Piper asked.**

**The bull-man bent his front legs and lowered his head in a bow... "At your service. River god extraordinaire. Once the spirit of the mightiest river in Greece. Now sentenced to dwell here, on the opposite side of the island from my old enemy.**

"He never was the same once Heracles torn off his horn..." Poseidon sighed. "Without it, his powers were greatly weakened."

"Will the same thing happen if his other horn was taken?" Grover found himself asking.

The god's frown deepened. "I'd imagine so."

The demigods grimaced.

"Gods, take away the only thing this guy has left or let your friends get killed by a psychopath," Connor said, brushing his hair back. "This couldn't have been easy to do."

"I know right? I barely know this guy but I don't think he deserved to have _another_ horn ripped off his head." Percy said, frowning.

**Oh, the gods are cruel!**

"Hey! We had nothing to do with this," Apollo said defensively. "If you want to blame someone, blame the Fates."

**But whether they put us so close together to punish me or Hercules, I have never been sure."**

"I would say it's more of a punishment for you." Artemis said. "Anyone who has to spend an eternity with Heracles is obviously being tortured."

**"I'm Piper," she said. "This is Jason. We don't want to fight. It's just that Heracles—Hercules—whoever he is, got mad at us and sent us here."**

**She explained about their quest to the ancient lands to stop the giants from waking Gaea. She described how their team of Greeks and Romans had come together, and how Hercules had thrown a temper tantrum when he found out Hera was behind it.**

"'Temper tantrum' is a great way to describe what happened." Artemis said, amused.

**Achelous kept tipping his head to the left, so Piper wasn't sure if he was dozing off or dealing with one-horn fatigue.**

"It has to fatigue," Grover said sadly. "Constantly being off-balance like that can't be doing any favors for his head."

"Yeah, I wonder if there's any way someone can make him a prosthetic horn." Will wondered out loud. "It wouldn't be the same as the old one, but at least he wouldn't feel so heavy headed all the time."

Grover perked up at that but Poseidon shook his head. "It is a good idea, but Achelous would never accept it. He's too prideful."

Both the satyr and demigod sighed in disappointment. **  
**

**When she was done, Achelous regarded her as if she were developing a regrettable skin rash. "Ah, my dear...the legends are true, you know. The spirits, the water cannibals."**

The demigods sat stunned, even Leo looked up in surprise by Achelous' remark. 

"How did he know about that?" Lacy said nervously. 

"River gods have their ways." was all Poseidon said.

**... [Achelous] "Alas, you are focusing on the wrong story. If you had made it to Rome, the story of the flood would have served you better."**

A couple of the readers winced.

"He knows about the vision too?" Percy said. 

"What exactly is he talking about? Can't he just tell us instead of being all cryptic?" Chris said in exasperation.

**"Piper?" Jason asked. "What's he talking about?"**

**Her thoughts were suddenly as jumbled as kaleidoscope glass. _The story of the flood...If you had made it to Rome._**

**"I—I'm not sure," she said, though the mention of a flood story rang a distant bell. "Achelous, I don't understand—"**

**"No, you don't," the river god sympathized. "Poor thing. Another girl stuck with a son of Zeus."**

Thalia scowled. "First of all, it's Jupiter. Second of all, _don't_ compare him to that egomaniac."

"Yeah, I get why you have a grudge against Hercules, but not every son of Zeus or Jupiter is the same." Leo defended, zipping and unzipping his jacket.

**"Wait a minute," Jason said. "It's Jupiter, actually. And how does that make her a _poor thing_?"**

"It doesn't, he's just stereotyping." Thalia muttered, glaring at the book. **  
**

**Achelous ignored him. "My girl, do you know the cause of my fight with Hercules?"**

**"It was over a woman," Piper recalled. "Deianira?"**

**"Yes." Achelous heaved a sigh. "And do you know what happened to her?"**

"We don't need to hear the details," Annabeth said, her face turning pale.

"A bad ending?" Percy guessed.

**"Uh..." Piper glanced at Jason.**

**He took out his guidebook and began flipping through pages. "It doesn't really—"**

**Achelous snorted indignantly. "What is _that_?"**

The gods started knowingly smiling.

Hermes and Apollo were already chuckling.

The demigods gave their parents confused glances before turning their attention back to the book.

**Jason blinked. "Just...** **_The Hercules Guide to Mare Nostrum._ He gave us the guidebook so—"**

**"That is not a book," Achelous insisted. "He gave you that just to get under my skin, didn't he? He** **knows I hate those things."**

Now the demigods were even more bewildered. They exchanged looks, everyone searching for answers that the other didn't have.

Annabeth frowned. "Hate what's _written_ in the guidebook or the _actual_ guidebook?"

"Is he trying to say he hates books?" Connor asked, scratching his head.

**... _"Bah!"_ Achelous's face flushed, turning his blue skin eggplant purple. "That's _not_ a book."**

By now, more gods were laughing softly amongst themselves. The expressions on the teens' faces only made them find the situation funnier.

"Still not getting what you mean, dude." Travis frowned. "Can you be a bit more specific?"

**He pawed the water. A scroll shot from the river like a miniature rocket and landed in front of him. He nudged it open with his hooves. The weathered yellow parchment unfurled, covered with faded Latin script and elaborate hand-drawn pictures.**

"Um... _okay,_ why are you showing us this?" Percy blinked.

**" _This_ is a book!" Achelous said. "Oh, the smell of sheepskin! The elegant feel of the scroll  
unrolling beneath my hooves. You simply can't duplicate it in something like that."**

The demigods stared blankly at Clarisse as if she were speaking in a new language. 

The daughter of Ares looked just as lost as the rest of them.

**He nodded indignantly at the guidebook in Jason's hand. "You young folks today and your  
newfangled gadgets. ****Bound pages. Little compact squares of text that are not hoof-friendly. That's a** **bound book, a b-book, if you must. But it's not a traditional book. It'll never replace the good old-fashioned scroll!"**

The teens silently listened, slack jawed, as Clarisse read the paragraph in pure disbelief.

"Who's going to tell him about audiobooks?" Percy said, finally finding his voice.

" _Newfangled gadget? Books?!"_ Annabeth repeated. She slowly shook her head, still unable to believe what she had just heard.

"Who says 'newfangled' anymore? Just how old _is_ this guy?" Leo couldn't help but say.

"Now, now, don't be rude." Demeter chastised. "Books haven't been around for that long. They only started mass production in the 1250's," 

"1450's," Athena corrected.

The other goddess frowned. "Really? That recently?"

" _Recently?"_ a few demigods exclaimed.

"But you have to admit, Auntie Dee, they have a reason to react the way they do." Apollo said. "Scrolls are _so_ outdated now and gods need to adapt if they want to stay relevant in this century. I can't even imagine where I'd be now if I never learned haiku!"

"Oh yes, I shudder to think what life would've been like if Apollo never learned haikus." Artemis said flatly.

"Maybe that's another reason why Achelous is stuck on that island," Athena mused. "He refuses to let go of the past."

**[Jason]... "Um, I'll just put this away now."**

"Good idea," Annabeth agreed, still dazed. 

**Achelous seemed to calm down a little, which was a relief to Piper. She didn't need to get run over by a one-horned bull with a scroll obsession.**

"I can't believe I live in a world where this is a real thing." Percy said. **  
**

**"Now," Achelous said, tapping a picture on his scroll. "This is Deianira."**

"Of course, can't be portrait on a canvas," Connor joked, only now recovering from the latest revelation.

"Gods forbid, we ever take a picture of him on a disposable camera," Travis snickered. "He'll probably think we're trying to steal his soul!"

"Imagine how he'd react if you took a picture with the flash on." Leo added, laughing along with them.

**Piper knelt down to look. The hand-painted portrait was small, but she could tell the woman had been very beautiful, with long dark hair, dark eyes, and a playful smile that probably drove guys crazy.**

Hera glared at her husband, silently daring him to comment or react.

Zeus rolled his eyes and stared off straight ahead.

**"Princess of Calydon," the river god said mournfully. "She was promised to me, until Hercules butted in. He insisted on combat."**

**"And he broke off your horn?" Jason guessed.**

Grover and Thalia winced.

"Could've put that a bit more gently, Jay." the daughter of Zeus said. "He already doesn't like you."

**"Yes," Achelous said. "I could never forgive him for that. Horribly uncomfortable, having only one horn. But the situation was worse for poor Deianira. She could have had a long, happy life married to me."**

"Living in a river with a bull-man," Clarisse said flatly.

"It would've been a better life than the one she had with Heracles." Poseidon pointed out.

**..."Exactly," Achelous agreed. "It seems impossible she would refuse, eh? Instead, she went off with Hercules. She picked the handsome, flashy hero over the good, faithful husband who would have treated her well. What happened next? Well, she should have known. Hercules was much too wrapped up in his own problems to be a good husband. He had already murdered one wife, you know. Hera cursed him, so he flew into a rage and killed his entire family. Horrible business. That's why he had to do those twelve labors as penance."**

Hera didn't look the slightest bit sorry.

**Piper felt appalled. "Wait...Hera _made_ him crazy, and _Hercules_ had to do the penance?"**

"Well I wasn't the one who killed his family," Hera pointed out with a shrug.

"But you drove him to do it, _wife._ " Zeus said tightly. The goddess glared at him.

"Well he wouldn't have been cursed, if _someone_ hadn't chosen to have stray from their marriage vows, _husband._ " Hera responded, just as roughly.

The god grunted in defeat.

**Achelous shrugged. "The Olympians never seem to pay for their crimes.**

"Except me, who gets punished for everything." Apollo bemoaned.

"Are you the one babysitting brats right now?" Dionysus snapped, jerking his thumb at the group of demigods.

Said teens rolled their eyes at the god's comment.

**And Hera has always hated the sons of Zeus...or Jupiter." He glanced distrustfully at Jason. "At any rate, my poor Deianira had a tragic end. She became jealous of Hercules's many affairs. He gallivanted all over the world, you see, just like his father Zeus, flirting with every woman he met. Finally Deianira got so desperate she listened to bad advice. A crafty centaur named Nessus told her that if she wanted Hercules to be faithful forever, she should spread some centaur blood on the inside of Hercules's favorite shirt.** **Unfortunately Nessus was lying because he wanted revenge on Hercules. Deianira followed his** **instructions, but instead of making Hercules a faithful husband—"**

**"Centaur blood is like acid," Jason said.**

"I'd say worse than that," Phoebe said, glaring at the Stolls. The boys purposely avoided eye contact with the angry hunters.

**"Yes," Achelous said. "Hercules died a painful death. When Deianira realized what she'd done, she..." The river god drew a line across his neck.**

It took a moment before the demigods' eyes widened in horrible realization.

"Oh gods," Percy said, stomach clenching.

"Yeah..." Annabeth said, looking eager to move on from the topic.

**"That's awful," Piper said.**

**"And the moral, my dear?" Achelous said. "Beware the sons of Zeus."**

" _No,_ the moral is beware Hercules." Thalia corrected pointedly, rolling her eyes. "He makes people do desperate things and act out of character."

**Piper couldn't look at her boyfriend. She wasn't sure she could mask the uneasiness in her eyes.**

Thalia, Leo, Aphrodite, and members of Cabin Ten groaned.

"Please don't tell me you actually believe Jason can become like Hercules." Thalia said with a sigh.

**Jason would never be like Hercules.**

Thalia relaxed slightly.

**But the story played into all her fears. Hera had manipulated their relationship, just as she had manipulated Hercules. Piper wanted to believe that Jason could never go into a murderous frenzy like Hercules had. Then again, only four days ago he had been controlled by an eidolon and almost killed Percy Jackson.**

 Thalia and the children of Aphrodite winced.

"But that's different," Aphrodite said with a grimace. 

"Piper, don't let this get to you." Thalia pleaded.

**"Hercules is a god now," Achelous said. "He married Hebe, the youth goddess, but still he is rarely at home. He dwells here on this island, guarding those silly pillars. He says Zeus _makes_ him do this, but I think he prefers being here to Mount Olympus, nursing his bitterness and mourning his mortal life. My presence reminds him of his failures—especially the woman who finally killed him. And his presence reminds me of poor Deianira, who could have been my wife."**

**The bull-man tapped the scroll, which rolled itself up and sank into the water.**

**"Hercules wants my other horn in order to humiliate me," Achelous said. "Perhaps it would make him feel better about himself, knowing that I'm miserable too.**

"It would for a little while, but eventually that wouldn't be enough and he'll find some other way to make Achelous miserable." Artemis said.

**Besides, the horn would become a cornucopia. Good food and drink would flow from it, just as my power causes the river to flow. No doubt Hercules would keep the cornucopia for himself. It would be a tragedy and a waste."**

The demigods couldn't help but feel sorry for the bull-man. He wasn't the monster they had grown up watching on the movies, and he certainly didn't deserve to be humiliated again just to make someone like Hercules feel better about themselves. They wished there was some other option to avoid the inevitable fighting.

**...Jason stirred. "I'm sorry, Achelous. Honestly, you've gotten a bum deal. But maybe...well, without the other horn, you might not be so lopsided. It might feel better."**

_"Jason!"_ the demigods exclaimed in sheer disbelief.

"After he just poured his heart out to you, you're really going to say that?!" Katie asked, aghast.

**...Jason held up his hands. "Just a thought. Besides, I don't see that we have many choices. If** **Hercules doesn't get that horn, he'll kill us and our friends."**

The readers grimaced at the reminder.

**"He's right," Achelous said. "You have no choice. Which is why I hope you'll forgive me."**

**Piper frowned. The river god sounded so heartbroken, she wanted to pat his head. "Forgive you for what?"**

**"I have no choice either," Achelous said. "I have to stop you."**

"Yeah," Percy sighed. "We kinda figured."

**The river exploded, and a wall of water crashed over Piper.**

The demigods were disappointed by the turn of events but unsurprised.

"I wish things could've turned out differently," Mitchell sighed, a few others nodded in agreement.

"That's the end of the chapter," Clarisse said.

"I'll read next," Mitchell volunteered, taking the book.

" **Piper XXVIII** ," he began.


	28. Piper XXVIII

" **Piper XXVIII** ," Mitchell read out loud.

**THE CURRENT GRABBED HER LIKE A FIST and pulled her into the deep. Struggling was useless... She couldn't see anything but a torrent of bubbles. She could only hear her own thrashing and the dull roar of the rapids.**

The readers stiffened.

**She'd just about decided this was how she would die: drowning in a swimming hole on an island that didn't exist.**

Aphrodite and her children winced.

**Then, as suddenly as she'd been pulled under, she was thrust to the surface. She found herself at the center of a whirlpool, able to breathe but unable to break free.**

**A few yards away, Jason broke the surface and gasped, his sword in one hand. He swung wildly, but there was nothing to attack.**

"Gods, for someone who said that they didn't want to do this, Achelous sure isn't pulling back punches." Connor said, wincing and grimacing at each brutal detail.

"Right? They weren't trying to kill him, they only wanted the horn." Travis said with a similar grimace. "This is hardly a fair fight."

"Can Piper try to charmspeak him?" Percy hastily suggested. "She has a better talking things over than Jason." He wished he was there. This was a quest that he would've actually been helpful in, yet he's sitting on the ship, twiddling his thumbs _again._

"I think they're past the point of talking." Annabeth said, squeezing her necklace. "Besides, Achelous wouldn't be able to hear her over the sound of the water."

**Twenty feet to Piper's right, Achelous rose from the water. "I'm really sorry about this," he said.**

"Yeah, so are we. Can you stop trying to drown our friends now?" Travis said, nervously laughing.

"I thought he had become weaker when he lost his horn!" Grover squeaked from around his finger nails.

"He might be weakened, but he still has the strength of a minor god." Poseidon corrected.

**Jason lunged toward him, summoning the winds to lift him out of the river, but Achelous was quicker and more powerful. A curl of water slammed into Jason and sent him under once more.**

Thalia paled.

The others winced again.

"Oh my gods," Leo said, eyes wide. He knew from what the two described that the fight with Achelous was bad, but he hadn't realized just how life-threatening it truly was until the description. They had pretty much glossed over nearly dying in favor of talking about how much of a jerk Hercules was.

_Probably because of how used to it we are at this point._ the son of Hephaestus thought with a frown. He searched through his pockets.

**"Stop it!" Piper screamed.**

**Using charmspeak wasn't easy when she was floundering in a whirlpool, but she got Achelous's attention.**

**"I'm afraid I can't stop," said the river god. "I can't let Hercules have my other horn. It would be mortifying."**

"So you're going to kill them instead?!" Katie exclaimed. "I understand where you're coming from about the horn, but don't you think this is too much?!"

"Especially when they already said that they didn't want to kill you," Percy pointed out, he still felt bad for the god but his actions were becoming overkill. Couldn't he just use the water to shoot them away from his river? Couldn't he turn the water into a wall to protect himself? He didn't have to try to _drown_ Percy's friends.

The son of Poseidon scowled, wishing once again that he was there to help them.

**Jason clawed his way to the surface again. A miniature storm cloud formed over his head. Thunder boomed.**

Having a feeling on what Jason was trying to do, Annabeth winced. "I don't think that's a good idea with Piper in the water."

**"None of that, son of Jupiter," Achelous chided. "If you call lightning, you'll just electrocute your girlfriend."**

**The water pulled Jason under again.**

The demigods groaned miserably.

"How are they supposed to defeat this guy? They can't even touch him and they're surrounded by his element." Will said in exasperation. Nobody had the answer to that, they just sat on the edges of their seats as they impatiently waited to hear what happens next.

**"Let him go!" Piper charged her voice with all the persuasiveness she could muster. "I promise I won't let Hercules get the horn!"**

**Achelous hesitated. He cantered over to her, his head tilting to the left. "I believe you mean that."**

"Of course she means it, no one wants Hercules to have the horn!" Percy added. "Now stop!"

**"I do!" Piper promised. "Hercules is despicable. But, please, first let my friend go."**

The demigods hoped that Piper's plea would be enough to persuade the god.

**The water churned where Jason had gone under. Piper wanted to scream. How much longer could he hold his breath?**

Thalia paled further and squeezed her bow tighter.

**Achelous looked down at her through his bifocals. His expression softened.**

Thinking the worst was over, the readers began to slowly relax.

**"I see. You would be my Deianira. You would be my bride to compensate for my loss."** Mitchell's jaw dropped.

The readers blinked in disbelief. For a moment, they were too shocked for words.

Thinking about similar situation between them and Polyphemus, Grover shivered and Clarisse scowled.

_"What?!"_ Aphrodite shrieked, breaking the silence. "When did she ever say that?!"

As if on cue, her daughters and the hunters yelled 'Ew!' in unison.

"What's wrong with him?!" Leo exclaimed, feeling a flare of protectiveness. First he tries to drown his best friend, now he wants to marry Piper to replace his lost-love?! Who does that?! He knew this already happened in his timeline but... _Gods._

"I can't believe they didn't tell me this rotten, lousy, one-horned..." the son of Hephaestus muttered under his breath, stretching his rubber band as far as it could go.

"She asks him to stop trying to kill her boyfriend and he interprets it as a marriage proposal..." Connor trailed off. "Why is everyone on this island crazy?"

**..."Uh, actually I was thinking—"**

**"Oh, I understand," Achelous said.**

"You sure 'bout that?" Leo scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"You say that, but I don't think you do," Nico said. "Maybe you should turn off the water show and actually listen to what she has to say."

**"You were too modest to suggest this in front of your boyfriend.**

_"What?"_ Percy yelled.

"He's insane." Annabeth finally said, still wrapping her mind around the situation. How could such a pitiable person turn out to be... a _murderous sleazebag?_

**You are right, of course. I would treat you much better than a son of Zeus would. I could make things right after all these centuries. I could not save Deianira, but I could save you."**

"Are you hearing yourself right now?" the goddess of love snapped. "You're so stuck in the past that it has made you delusional!"

"But Piper can use that to her advantage," Athena said. She looked disgusted but she had an idea forming. "If she can use this to gain his trust, he might allow her to get close enough to rip off the horn."

"It might." Aphrodite begrudgingly agreed, twirling a lock of hair around her finger.

**..."You would have to let your friends die," Achelous continued.**

" _Gee,_ thanks." Percy said sarcastically. Annabeth scowled at the book.

**"Hercules would be angry, but I can protect you from him. We could be quite happy together. Let's start by letting that Jason fellow drown, eh?"**

"How about no?" Thalia growled, glaring at the book.

"And to think we felt bad for this guy," Travis sighed. "Everyone on this island is such a let-down."

"Should've known there was something wrong with him the moment he thought books were too high-tech." Connor said.

**Piper could barely hold it together, but she** **_had_ ** **to concentrate. She masked her fear and her anger. She was a child of Aphrodite. She had to use the tools she was given.**

The goddess of love nodded her head in approval.

"You can do it, Piper." Lacy encouraged.

**She smiled as sweetly as she could and raised her arms. "Lift me up, please."**

**Achelous's face brightened. He grabbed Piper's hands and pulled her out of the whirlpool.**

Annabeth and Aphrodite smirked. _Big mistake._

**...She used her momentum, swinging one leg over Achelous's back. Then she locked her ankles around his neck, wrapped one arm around his throat, and drew her knife with the other. She pressed the blade under the river god's chin.**

Members of Cabin Ten and the hunters of Artemis cheered and clapped.

"As if Piper was really going to do that," Leo snorted, tying a knot in the rubber band.

"I know, right? And why would he want to marry someone who would be so quick to betray their friends?" Mitchell said, rolling his eyes. "He really needs to get his priorities straight."

**"Let—Jason—go." She put all her force into the command. "Now!"**

**Piper realized there were many flaws in her plan. The river god might simply dissolve into water. Or he could pull her under and wait for her to drown.**

The readers winced.

**But apparently her charmspeak worked.**

Aphrodite and her children let out breaths they hadn't realized they had been holding.

**Or maybe Achelous was just too surprised to think straight. He probably wasn't used to pretty girls threatening to cut his throat.**

"With the island's population consisting of Heracles and pillars, I'm not surprised." Athena remarked.

**Jason shot out of the water like a human cannonball. He broke through the branches of an olive tree and tumbled onto the grass.**

Thinking about his head, Thalia and Will winced.

"At least he's not drowning," Percy said, cringing.

**That couldn't have felt good, but he struggled to his feet, gasping and coughing. He raised his sword, and the dark clouds thickened over the river.**

**Piper shot him a warning look:** **_Not yet._ ** **She still had to get out of this river without drowning or getting electrocuted.**

**Achelous arched his back as if contemplating a trick. Piper pressed the knife harder against his throat.**

**..."You promised," Achelous said through gritted teeth. "You promised Hercules wouldn't get my horn."**

**"And he won't," Piper said. "But I will."**

"Woah," Travis said, eyes widening. "Badass."

"That's our beauty queen for you," Leo grinned. He took out more rubber bands from his pocket and began to make a ball.

"That's going on the list of 'Quotes that Should Be Part of a Movie Trailer'." Connor said, pretending to write it down on his hand.

**She raised her knife and slashed off the god's horn. The Celestial bronze cut through the base like it was wet clay.**

Grover shuddered and clutched onto his horns.

**Achelous bellowed in rage. Before he could recover, Piper stood up on his back. With the horn in one hand and her dagger in the other, she leaped for the shore.**

**"Jason!" she yelled.**

**Thank the gods, he understood. A gust of wind caught her and carried her safely over the bank.** **Piper hit the ground rolling as the hairs on her neck stood up. A metallic smell filled the air. She turned toward the river in time to be blinded.**

**_BOOM!_ ** **Lightning stirred the water into a boiling cauldron, steaming and hissing with electricity. Piper blinked the yellow spots out of her eyes as the god Achelous wailed and dissolved beneath the surface. His horrified expression seemed to be asking:** **_How could you?_ **

"They didn't have a choice." Percy said, he still felt bad to an extent. None of this would've happened if Hercules hadn't sent them, but he couldn't look past what the bull-man tried to do to his friends.

**"Jason, run!" She was still dizzy and sick with fear, but she and Jason crashed through the woods.**

**As she climbed the hill, clasping the bull's horn to her chest, Piper realized she was sobbing— though she wasn't sure if it was from fear, or relief, or shame for what she'd done to the old river god.**

"What he was going to do to all of us was much worse." Leo pointed out with a frown, he hoped Piper still didn't feel guilty about this.

"Don't feel bad, you had to do it." Annabeth said.

"If it wasn't for you, Jason wouldn't be..." Thalia trailed off and swallowed. "You did the right thing." she added shortly.

"At least Hercules won't be getting the horn." Percy said with a sigh.

Some of the demigods frowned.

"But how can they do that? Hercules won't let the ship go by unless he has it." Jake reminded.

Percy faltered at the reminder, but didn't let it get to him.

"They'll think of something, Hercules may have his smart moments but he's still full of it and used to things going his way." he said as confidently as he could. "If they take advantage of that, they might have a chance."

The others didn't look to sure of that but they didn't dispute him.

"I hope you're right." was all Jake replied with a frown. While he didn't want Hercules to get the horn either, he couldn't think of any way of stopping him from getting it that didn't put everyone on the ship in danger.

**They didn't slow down until they reached the crest of the hill.**

**Piper felt silly, but she kept breaking down and crying as she told Jason what had happened while he was struggling underwater.**

**"Piper, you had no choice." He put his hand on her shoulder. "You saved my life."**

"All our lives," Leo added with a nod in agreement.

**..."Achelous forced your hand," Jason continued. "Besides, I doubt that lightning bolt killed him. He's an ancient god. You'd have to destroy his river to destroy him. And he can live without a horn.**

"The worst she did was hurt his pride," Poseidon remarked.

**If you had to lie about not giving it to Hercules, well—"**

**"I wasn't lying."**

"There's no way he's getting the horn after all that," Percy agreed.

**Jason stared at her. "Pipes...we don't have a choice. Hercules will kill—"**

**"Hercules doesn't deserve this."**

Everyone except Zeus nodded.

**Piper wasn't sure where this rage was coming from, but she had never felt more certain of anything in her life.**

**Hercules was a bitter, selfish jerk.**

"Don't forget insane," Naomi added.

"And a murderer," Celin included.

"And manipulative," Phoebe made a point to add.

"And-"

"We get it, girls." Artemis gently interrupted, smirking at their commentary.

**He'd hurt too many people, and he wanted to keep on hurting them.**

The hunters started snapping in agreement.

**Maybe he'd had some bad breaks. Maybe the gods had kicked him around. But that didn't excuse it. A hero couldn't control the gods, but he should be able to control himself.**

"Exactly," Percy said.

**Jason would never be like that. He would never blame others for his problems or make a grudge more important than doing the right thing.**

"Right." Thalia readily agreed.

**...He couldn't get his way this time—not after threatening their lives and sending them to make Achelous miserable for the sake of spiting Hera. Hercules didn't deserve a horn of plenty. Piper was going to put him in his place.**

_"Yeah!"_ the demigods and hunters eagerly cheered.

" _Finally."_ Phoebe stressed out.

The some of gods smiled in amusement.

**"I have a plan," she said.**

**She told Jason what to do. She didn't even realize she was using charmspeak until his eyes glazed over.**

**"Whatever you say," he promised. Then he blinked a few times. "We're going to die, but I'm in."**

Leo dramatically rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence Jay."

"They can do it, they just need to trick him into thinking he's getting what he wants." Annabeth said thoughtfully, formulating her own plans.

"If she's going to Iris Message Leo, maybe there's some way we can help." Percy said, but said boy shook his head.

"No, she didn't need us for anything except for being ready."

The readers frowned. Being ready?

**Hercules was waiting right where they'd left him...Hercules didn't exactly brighten when he saw Piper carrying the bull's horn, but his scowl lines lessened.**

The demigods scoffed and rolled their eyes at their former idol's actions.

**"Good," he said. "You got it. In that case, you are free to go."**

Percy raised his eyebrows. "That's it?"

Athena sighed at the god's idiocy. "That's it. The ship can pass through now."

The other demigods blinked.

"Wait..." Will's eyebrows furrowed. "So the ship can leave _right now?_   Piper and Jason can just hop on the ship with the horn, and the ship can sail away to Rome?"

Athena pinched the bridge of her nose. "Technically yes." 

Travis' eyes widened. " _Wow,_ he's either really sure of himself or too dumb to realize just how badly he screwed himself over."

"Could be both." Hermes shrugged.

"It's the latter," Artemis corrected.

**Piper glanced at Jason. "You heard him. He gave us permission." She turned back to the god.**

**"That means our ship will be able to pass into the Mediterranean?"**

**"Yes, yes." Hercules snapped his fingers. "Now, the horn."**

"Should've done that _after_ you've gotten the horn..." Athena muttered, sighing again. While she was glad that the odds were in Piper and Jason's favor, she still couldn't help but cringe at how easily Hercules gave them what they wanted. They didn't even need to trick him.

**"No," Piper said.**

**The god frowned. "Excuse me?"**

"He's probably not used to hearing that." Chris snorted.

"He is, he just never takes 'no' for an answer." Artemis said.

**She raised the cornucopia. Since she'd cut it from Achelous's head, the horn had hollowed out, becoming smooth and dark on the inside. It didn't appear magical, but Piper was counting on its power.**

Hermes curiously raised his eyebrows.

**"Achelous was right," she said. "You're his curse as much as he is yours. You're a sorry excuse for a hero."**

More snaps from the hunters.

**Hercules stared at her as if she were speaking in Japanese. "You realize I could kill you with a flick of my finger," he said. "I could throw my club at your ship and cut straight through its hull. I could—"**

"You could shut up," Percy suggested, rolling his eyes. His remark earned snickers from the group of teens, even the hunters couldn't suppress their giggles.

**... [Jason] "Maybe Zeus** **_is_ ** **different from Jupiter. Because I wouldn't put up with any brother who acts like you."**

"Neither will I, so don't expect me to be welcoming you with open arms." Thalia huffed.

**The veins on Hercules's neck turned as purple as his robes. "You would not be the first demigod I've killed."**

"Er... I don't think that's something you should really be bragging about..." Will cringed.

**"Jason is better than you," Piper said. "But don't worry. We're not going to fight you. We're going to leave this island with the horn. You don't deserve it as a prize. I'm going to keep it, to remind me of what not to be like as a demigod, and to remind me of poor Achelous and Deianira."**

"I mean, I wouldn't consider Achelous to be a 'poor guy' after what he did to you and Jay, but I get the point." Leo grumbled, firing his rubber band onto the floor.

**The god's nostrils flared. "Do not mention that name! You can't seriously think I'm worried about your puny boyfriend. No one is stronger than me."**

"Just because you're stronger doesn't make you a better person, _genius._ " Thalia scoffed.

**"I didn't say stronger," Piper corrected. "I said he's** **_better_ ** **."**

**Piper pointed the mouth of the horn at Hercules.**

"Oh..." Having a feeling where this was going, Hermes smirked. "He's in for it now."

The teens slowly began to smile.

**She let go of the resentment and doubt and anger she'd been harboring since Camp Jupiter. She concentrated on all the good things she'd shared with Jason Grace: soaring upward in the Grand Canyon, walking on the beach at Camp Half-Blood, holding hands at the sing-along and watching the stars, sitting by the strawberry fields together on lazy afternoons and listening to the satyrs play their pipes.**

The smiles from Cabin Ten became more genuine at that.

Aphrodite softly grinned.

**She thought about a future when the giants had been defeated, Gaea was asleep, and they would live happily together—no jealousy, no monsters left to battle.**

"Can we just skip to that part already?" Percy said wistfully. He hadn't even experienced what was happening in the book yet, but after the war with Kronos, he was ready to have his happy ending with Annabeth and his friends.

**She filled her heart with those thoughts, and she felt the cornucopia grow warm.**

**The horn blasted forth a flood of food as powerful as Achelous's river. A torrent of fresh fruit, baked goods, and smoked hams completely buried Hercules...**

Despite his earlier thoughts, Percy couldn't help but laugh along with the others at that.

"Ham! Nice touch!" Apollo said in between his laughter.

"I would've preferred rotten tomatoes, but ham really suits him." Artemis agreed, smiling from ear-to-ear.

**When it had spewed out enough goodies to fill a house, the horn shut itself off. Piper heard** **Hercules shrieking and struggling somewhere underneath...**

Hera was laughing so hard, her face was turning red.

"Strongest man alive, everyone." Travis said, snickering.

"He can flick his finger and kill you instantly, just don't throw any hams at him." Connor joked, snickering as well.

**"Go!" she told Jason, who'd forgotten his part of the plan and was staring in amazement at the** **fruit pile. "Go!"**

**He grabbed Piper's waist and summoned the wind. They shot away from the island so quickly,** **Piper almost got whiplash; but it wasn't a second too soon.**

**...Hercules's head broke above the mound of goodies. Half a coconut was stuck on his noggin like a war helmet. "Kill!" he bellowed, like he'd had a lot of practice saying it.**

"And they made a children's movie based off this guy?" Chris asked, raising his eyebrows.

**Jason touched down on the deck of the** **_Argo II._ ** **Thankfully, Leo had done his part. The ship's oars were already in aerial mode. The anchor was up. Jason summoned a gale so strong, it pushed them into the sky, while Percy sent a ten-foot-tall wave against the shore, knocking Hercules down a second time, in a cascade of seawater and pineapples.**

The teens broke out into another laughing fit.

"You just couldn't resist, could you?" Thalia said, grinning.

"After what he did to us and Zoë, he deserved it." Percy chuckled, glad he did _something._

**By the time the god regained his feet and started lobbing coconuts at them from far below,**

"What happened to throwing your club at the ship?" Hermes chuckled.

"I'm just glad he forgot about that." Leo said. Coconuts he could deal with, a club cutting straight through the ship's hull? A bit more challenging.

**the** **_Argo II_ ** **was already sailing through the clouds above the Mediterranean.**

"And that's the end." Mitchell said with a smile.

"I liked the ending but I'm glad it's over with," Will said. "They don't have much time to lose."

"Don't remind me..." Nico said, frowning. The son of Apollo gave him an apologetic glance.

"Well, we don't have a lot of time but we're close to our destination." Annabeth said. "We'll find Nico soon."

Nico furrowed his eyebrows in confusion when he noticed that she was reassuring Will instead of him. It didn't necessarily bother him, but it was strange all the same.

"Yeah," Will sighed. He had to keep reminding himself that. He turned to Mitchell. "I'll read next."

Once he took the book, he flipped to the next page and began the new chapter.

" **Percy XXIX** ," he began.

Smile vanishing, Percy groaned. "Here we go again."


	29. Percy XXIX

" **Percy XXIX** ," Will read.

**PERCY WAS NOT FEELING THE LOVE.**

"The four-chaptered point-of views aren't helping either." Percy admitted with a sigh.

**Bad enough he'd been run out of Atlanta by evil sea gods.**

Remembering the aquarium, Percy cringed.

**Then he had failed to stop a giant shrimp attack on the Argo II.**

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. Percy refused to make eye contact with anyone.

**Then-**

Percy groaned in frustration. " _Of course_ there's more. Why wouldn't there be?"

Annabeth encouragingly squeezed his hand.

**the ichthyocentaurs, Chiron's brothers, hadn't even wanted to meet him.**

Huffing, Percy impatiently tapped his foot.

Leo bounced his rubber band ball.

**After all that, they had arrived at the Pillars of Hercules, and Percy had to stay aboard ship while Jason the Big Shot visited his half brother. Hercules, the most famous demigod of all time, and Percy didn't get to meet him either.**

"To be fair, that wasn't much of a family reunion." Thalia said, resting her head in her hand.

Percy was frowning at the paragraph's choice of wording. He didn't like how it sounded like he actually wanted to meet Hercules. Was it possible he forgot what the hero had done to Zöe? But how could he have forgotten something that had drastically changed his friend's life?

_I must've meant it some other way. I wouldn't have forgotten about Zöe after my memories have been restored._ Percy thought, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach.

**Okay, sure, from what Piper said afterward, Hercules was a jerk,**

_'From what Piper said'? He's always been a jerk, why am I acting like I never knew this?_ Percy thought, making a noise of annoyance.

**but still...Percy was getting kind of tired of staying aboard ship and pacing the deck.**

_That,_ Present-Day Percy agreed with.

Annabeth sighed.

"You're not pacing around the deck, you've been a big help. Without you and Frank, I wouldn't have been able to find the map in Charleston."

"And kept the ship afloat while Hazel, Frank, and I were gone." Leo supplied, kicking his ball around with his foot.

"Yeah," Percy begrudgingly admitted. He did do those things, but it still didn't feel enough. He was the son of _Poseidon_ and he's already experienced sailing to the great unknown when he was traveling the Sea of Monsters! He should be better than this! More prepared.

He bit back a sigh as Will kept reading.

**...To make matters worse, Annabeth had been distant ever since they had left Charleston. She spent most of her time in her cabin, studying the bronze map she'd retrieved from Fort Sumter, or looking up information on Daedalus's laptop.**

"You know why I'm being distant..." Annabeth muttered to Percy. With her free hand, she played with her necklace.

"I know," he agreed, but he still didn't feel happy about it. He wished she gave him and the others more ways to help her. She might have to walk alone to fight this spider lady, but Percy could at least help with the research.

_It'll give me something to do while I'm stuck on the ship._ The son of Poseidon thought, rolling his eyes.

**Whenever Percy stopped by to see her, she was so lost in thought that the conversation went something like this:**

**Percy: "Hey, how's it going?"**

**Annabeth: "Uh, no thanks."**

The Stolls snickered.

"I love when she gets distracted like this, it makes games like 'Would You Rather?' so interesting." Connor said, smiling wide.

Annabeth frowned in confusion. "What?"

"Who knew that instead of being stuck in an elevator full of chicken-sized zombies or full of wet dogs, Annabeth would rather 'papaya'?" Travis laughed.

"I don't remember this." Annabeth's eyebrows furrowed.

"My favorite one was the 'Would you rather lose a fight against a harpy or a leprechaun?' And she says 'Ask Clarisse, she would know.'" Connor laughed harder.

"What?!" Said girl shouted, glaring at Annabeth.

"I don't even remember having these conversations!" she said defensively.

Will waited until they quieted down before continuing to read.

**Percy: "Okay...have you eaten anything today?"**

**Annabeth: "I think Leo is on duty. Ask him."**

"Uh... You're better off asking Piper." Leo corrected. He hadn't had time to go to the Mess Hall with all the random monster attacks. _Hades_ , Leo hadn't even had enough time to remove the stupid coconuts lodged in the hull's bronze plating.

**Percy: "So, my hair is on fire."**

**Annabeth: "Okay. In a while."**

Thinking about their other 'Would You Rather?' questions, the Stolls snickered.

**...He was worried about her after her encounter with the spiders at Fort Sumter, and he didn't know how to help her, especially if she shut him out.**

"There isn't much you can do except focus on finding Nico and figuring out how we can close the Doors of Death." Annabeth said. "That's just as important as finding the statue."

She was right, of course. But that didn't stop Percy from worrying about her and her quest. _Does she have to do this alone?_

**After leaving the Pillars of Hercules—unscathed except for a few coconuts lodged in the hull's bronze plating—**

"Really? The ship can't go through _one_ place without some damage?" Nyssa groaned.

"Nope," Leo sighed.

**the ship traveled by air for a few hundred miles.**

**Percy hoped the ancient lands wouldn't be as bad as they'd heard. But it was almost like a commercial:** **_You'll notice the difference immediately!_ **

The demigods braced themselves for what they were about to hear.

**Several times an hour, something attacked the ship.**

Out of all the things they had been expecting, this wasn't it. Some of the teens gasped, others just sat there stunned.

_"Seven times?!"_ Annabeth exclaimed.

"Yeah, I guess seven's our lucky number." Leo said dryly.

Thalia and the parents of the Seven couldn't help but worriedly grimace at the number of the attacks.

_They must be exhausted._ Hestia thought, biting her lip.

**A flock of flesh-eating Stymphalian birds swooped out of the night sky, and Festus torched them. Storm spirits swirled around the mast, and Jason blasted them with lightning.**

"And this was all under an hour." Will reiterated in disbelief.

" _Gods,_ when they said the ancient lands were dangerous they weren't kidding." Chris muttered, eyes wide and face pale.

"It's like they were waiting for us to show up." Percy said, brushing his hair back.

**While Coach Hedge was having dinner on the foredeck, a wild pegasus appeared from nowhere, stampeded over the coach's enchiladas, and flew off again, leaving cheesy hoof prints all across the deck.**

Despite the situation, the Stolls laughed.

"Seriously?" Travis said in between his snickers.

"That one's not so bad," Apollo chuckled.

"You say that, but you weren't the one who had to listen to an angry goat yelling at you to turn the ship around and follow it so he could have 'his revenge'." Leo grumbled.

His ears were ringing just remembering it.

_Revenge, Valdez! I must have my REVENGE! That horse is going to be GLUE when I'm finished with it!_ the satyr had hollered, waving his club and swinging like he was hitting for a home-run. Leo didn't know why Coach thought he needed a megaphone, his regular voice worked just fine.

**...Finally around midnight, after the ninth or tenth aerial attack,**

The readers grimaced.

**Jason turned to him. "How about you get some sleep? I'll keep blasting stuff out of the sky as long as I can. Then we can go by sea for a while, and you can take point."**

"Don't push yourself, Jay." Thalia muttered.

**Percy wasn't sure that he'd be able to sleep with the boat rocking through the clouds as it was shaken by angry wind spirits, but Jason's idea made sense. He went belowdecks and crashed on his bunk.**

**His nightmares, of course, were anything but restful.**

The demigods loudly groaned.

"Why am I the one who always gets demigod dreams?" Percy complained.

Figuring they were just regular nightmares, Leo picked up his ball and continued adding rubber bands.

**He dreamed he was in a dark cavern. He could only see a few feet in front of him, but the space must have been vast...**

**He heard heavy footsteps, and the twin giants Ephialtes and Otis shuffled out of the gloom.**

The readers stiffened. A few shuddered in fear.

Leo on the other hand looked up in confusion. This sounded like it was a demigod dream, but that didn't make any sense. Percy hadn't said anything about having one and he had no reason to hide it from him and the others.

_Am I missing something? Did he talk about this to us and I forgot?_ he wondered. A lot had happened between being knocked out by the dolphin brigade and traveling underground with Hazel and Frank, it could've happened in the whirlwind of everything.

_But I wouldn't forget something like that._ Leo frowned, thoughtfully drumming his fingers. _We always get together to talk and interpret dreams, even after the group meetings. I wouldn't forget something like that._

For once since they started reading these books, Leo felt lost. With little else to do, he paid attention to the reading.

**Percy could distinguish them only by their hair—Ephialtes had the green locks braided with silver and gold** **coins; Otis had the purple ponytail braided with...were those firecrackers?**

**Otherwise they were dressed identically, and their outfits definitely belonged in a nightmare. They** **wore matching white slacks and gold buccaneer shirts with V-necks that showed way too much chest** **hair.**

Aphrodite gagged. Too much detail.

**A dozen sheathed daggers lined their rhinestone belts. Their shoes were open-toed sandals,** **proving that—yes, indeed—they had snakes for feet. The straps wrapped around the serpents' necks...**

**..."We're here," Ephialtes announced. Despite his booming voice, his words dissipated in the cavern, echoing until they sounded small and insignificant.**

Tension hung in the air.

**Far above, something answered, "Yes. I can see that. Those outfits are hard to miss."**

Assuming it was Gaea, the demigods' faces were already paling.

Percy felt his stomach twist itself into knots.

**...It sounded vaguely female, but not at all human. Each word was a garbled hiss in multiple tones, as if a swarm of African killer bees had learned to speak English in unison.**

Athena's expression darkened, she gritted her teeth and tightly clenched her armrests.

Now knowing who it really was, Annabeth's breath softly hitched. She tried not to show her fear through her face, but Percy could feel her hand shaking.

**It wasn't Gaea.**

Despite this knowledge, the demigods did not relax.

**Percy was sure of that. But whatever it was, the twin giants became nervous. They shifted on their snakes and bobbed their heads respectfully.**

"You know she's evil when even the giants want to avoid her bad side," Travis gulped, realizing along with the other demigods who this woman was.

**"Of course, Your Ladyship," Ephialtes said. "We bring news of—"**

**"Why are you dressed like that?" asked the thing in the dark...**

_A 'thing',_ Athena mused. _How appropriate._

Meanwhile everyone else grumbled impatiently.

"Nobody cares about their clothes, just tell us the news already." Leo said, pulling and letting go a rubber band around his wrist.

**Ephialtes shot his brother an irritated look. "My brother was supposed to wear something different. Unfortunately—"**

**"You said** ** _I_** **was the knife thrower today," Otis protested.** Will resisted the urge to skip ahead and grudgingly continued reading the 'exciting' argument about clothing. _Why did Arachne have to ask that question again? They always wear matching clothing._

He drummed his fingers against the book's hard cover.

**"I said** **_I_ ** **was the knife thrower! You were supposed to be the magician! Ah, forgive me, Your** **Ladyship. You don't want to hear us arguing.**

"Neither do we, get to the point." Zeus snapped.

**We came as you requested, to bring you news. The ship is approaching."**

The readers stiffened.

"How do they know that?" Lacy squeaked.

"Multiple ways, I wouldn't be surprised if they had spies following them throughout the journey." Athena said, crossing her arms.

The demigods grimaced.

**Her Ladyship, whatever she was, made a series of violent hisses like a tire being slashed repeatedly.** **With a shudder, Percy realized she was laughing.**

Annabeth felt a shiver run down her spine.

**"How long?" she asked.**

**"They should land in Rome shortly after daybreak, I think," Ephialtes said. "Of course, they'll have to get past the golden boy."**

The demigods exchanged confused expressions. They didn't notice how Poseidon squeezed his eyes shut and winced.

" _The golden boy?"_ Percy repeated, he turned to Annabeth. "Do you know who that is?"

She was still unsettled by the description of Arachne, but she mustered up a small head shake.

"It's too vague, that could be anyone." she said shortly.

**..."I hope they arrive safely," Her Ladyship said. "It would spoil our fun to have them captured too soon. Are your preparations made?"**

**"Yes, Your Ladyship." Otis stepped forward, and the cavern trembled. A crack appeared under Otis's left snake.**

For a moment, Percy couldn't help but hope that the ground would give in and Otis with his stupid fireworks would fall right through.

**"Careful, you dolt!" Her Ladyship snarled. "Do you want to return to Tartarus the hard way?"**

The demigods didn't think much of this sentence, they had just brushed it off as the monster overexaggerating.

Leo, however, knew better and winced.

**Otis scrambled back, his face slack with terror. Percy realized that the floor, which looked like solid stone, was more like the glacier he'd walked on in Alaska—in some places solid, in other** **places...not so much...**

The teens shifted uneasily as they listened to the description.

"So uh..." Chris cleared his throat. "Where exactly does this cavern lead to if the ground were to give in?"

The gods' expressions darkened, the demigods' anxiousness rose at the grimness of their expressions.

"Exactly where she said: Tartarus." Hades said in a monotone voice that made the demigods shudder. Their eyes widened.

Percy sat upright so fast, he startled the others around him.

_"What?"_ he turned to Annabeth, who was staring blankly at her feet. "Annabeth! This is _crazy!_ You can't seriously be going to fight this... _thing! Alone! In an unstable cavern!_ What if something happens? What if you actually fall _in Tartarus?"_ The very thought had Percy's heart racing. He had been to the Fields of Punishment with Thalia and Nico before on a quest. He had seen people being chased by hellhounds, burned at the stake, forced to run naked in cactus patches, and other tortures Percy hadn't known was possible. If Tartarus was worse than that place... The possibility of Annabeth falling in there made Percy want to smack the genius whose brilliant idea it was to send 'wisdom's daughter walking alone' on this quest.

"I don't have a choice," Annabeth reminded tightly. "I can't do this with anyone else's help." The silent _'including you'_ could be heard throughout the suddenly quiet room. Percy was vaguely aware that the others were watching, but he didn't care. If he had, he might've noticed how closed-off Leo suddenly appeared: Arms crossed, eyes purposely looking away, strangely still. If the others hadn't been wrapped up in the scene unfolding, they would've known he knew something immediately.

From her corner, Hestia noticed the strange behavior and felt a wave of uneasiness.

"How do you know? You haven't given us a chance," he persisted. "Sure we can't actually go with you on the quest, but we can help you with research-"

"You can't even read the map."

"Or at least let me walk you to the Timber River-"

"Tiber." Annabeth sighed.

"Whatever! I can walk you to the _Tiber_ River, give Tiberinus the letter of introduction and get some advice."

"But you should-"

"Be helping you, yeah you're right." he cut in.

Annabeth glared at him, but Percy didn't back down. He met her eyes with his own determined glare. " _Percy_ , the others need your help."

"And I'll be back to help them, _after_ we go to the river." he stubbornly replied. The more he said it, the more set he was on doing it.

Annoyed, Annabeth scowled at him, but a part of her couldn't help but feel relieved. Even if he couldn't come with her on the real journey, she felt safer with him walking her to the starting point. He might even be helpful when talking with Tiberinus.

_I just wished he trusted me more with this..._ she sighed, shoulders slumping.

Taking that as a win, Percy relaxed a bit.

Under the whispered commentary towards the interaction, Will continued reading.

**"There is little left holding this place together," Her Ladyship cautioned. "Except, of course, my own skill.**

Athena scoffed and rolled her eyes.

**Centuries of Athena's rage can only be contained so well, and the great Earth Mother churns below us in her sleep. Between those two forces, well...my nest has quite eroded. We must hope this child of Athena proves to be a worthy victim. She may be my last plaything."**

Annabeth suppressed a shudder. After Percy practically invited himself on the trip to Tiber, she didn't need to give him more reasons why this was a bad idea.

_I already know this is a terrible idea, but I'm literally the only person who can do this._ she thought tiredly. They both knew it, so why does he have to make things so difficult?

**[Ephialtes]... "Soon it will not matter, Your Ladyship. Gaea will rise, and we all will be rewarded. You will no longer have to guard this place, or keep your works hidden."**

**"Perhaps," said the voice in the dark. "But I will miss the sweetness of my revenge. We have worked well together over the centuries, have we not?"**

**The twins bowed. The coins glittered in Ephialtes's hair, and Percy realized with nauseating certainty that some of them were silver drachma, exactly like the one Annabeth had gotten from her mom.**

The goddess of wisdom reared back as if she had been slapped, her expression pained.

Stomach clenching, Annabeth felt like she was going to be sick. She winced at the sudden vice grip Percy gave her hand.

Seeing that, he quickly relaxed his hand.

"Sorry. Sorry," he breathed. Percy's face was pale as he rubbed soothing circles in her hand.

The other demigods listened in horrified silence, even Leo looked shaken by that small detail.

Grover's bottom lip wobbled, he looked close to tears at this point as he refused to look at Annabeth.

Thalia's hands were shaking so hard, she stuffed them in her pockets. She knew that this was going to be dangerous, but the more she listened to the monsters conversation, the more dread she felt about Annabeth going through with this.

_I can't lose her, not after Luke..._ she thought, clenching her shaking hands into fists.

The daughter of Athena took note of everyone's reactions and suddenly felt drained.

_Great, I guess now everyone wants to walk with me to Tiber River..._ she thought tiredly. Annabeth understood where they all were coming from, she really did, but they had to trust that she would be able to handle herself. Even if others had failed she still had a chance.

_I have to do this._ she told herself, gulping. She tried to school her features. _I can do this._

**Annabeth had told him that in each generation, a few children of Athena were sent on the quest to recover the missing Parthenon statue. None had ever succeeded.**

Athena grimaced, she slumped forward in her throne.

**_We have worked well together over the centuries...._ **

**The giant Ephialtes had centuries' worth of coins in his braids—hundreds of trophies.**

"We get it, you don't have to explain it to us." Annabeth muttered testily.

Hearing this, Percy guiltily winced. If he was feeling bad, he could only imagine how Annabeth was feeling hearing about this.

"Sorry." he told her, getting a tired sigh in response.

**Percy pictured Annabeth standing in this dark place alone. He imagined the giant taking that coin she carried and adding it to his collection.**

The demigods collectively winced.

Grover whimpered, lip wobbling faster.

**Percy wanted to draw his sword and give the giant a haircut starting at the neck, but he was powerless to act. He could only watch.**

"Why can't I just wake up already?" the son of Poseidon muttered, this was the worst demigod dream yet.

**"Uh, Your Ladyship," Ephialtes said nervously. "I would remind you that Gaea wishes the girl to be taken alive. You can torment her. Drive her insane.**

The demigods shuddered, some gave Annabeth terrified glances. They looked like they wanted to tell her something, but stopped short just as they were forming the sentences.

_Probably was going to say 'don't go'._ Annabeth guessed distantly, refusing to outwardly react to the book's words. She regretted ever reading this chapter. It was already hard enough to mentally prepare herself for this quest, but watching her friends react the way they are was not helping her confidence. She could only imagine how things will be once word gets back to Camp. She could already hear her siblings arguing with her about a 'different strategy' or begging her not to risk it. She was sure Malcolm would volunteer himself to be her replacement, only to start an avalanche of furious outbursts and wails of refusal.

_This is going to be a long couple of months..._ Annabeth let go of Percy's hand in favor of rubbing her forehead. She could feel the beginnings of a headache. _I wish Percy never had this dream._

**Whatever you wish, of course. But her blood must be spilt on the ancient stones."**

While the other demigods were still worrying about the former line, Annabeth perked up at this.

_My blood? Why does it have to be me? Wouldn't anyone else's still work?_ she frowned.

**Her Ladyship hissed. "Others could be used for that purpose."**

**"Y-yes," Ephialtes said. "But this girl is preferred. And the boy—the son of Poseidon. You can see why those two would be most suited for the task."**

Now the other demigods were frowning at that as well.

"Why us? What's so special about our blood?" Percy wondered.

"Well, I can see why she would pick you because of being a child of the Big Three. But if that were the case, she could have easily picked Hazel or Jason..." Annabeth said thoughtfully, glad for the temporary change of topic, even if it was about giants using her and her boyfriend's blood to awaken a threat that could wipe away life as they knew it.

"It's weird how's she's becoming more and more specific on whose blood she wants." Leo commented, pulling the rubber band around his wrist. "You'd think she'd be desperate to take just about anybody's so she'd wake up faster." He took the rubber band off and added it to the ever-growing rubber band ball.

"Right. Since we know that any of our blood can be used to awaken Gaea, we can assume that she picked Percy and me for a more personal reason. Maybe symbolic?" she guessed, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"Well we did help defeat Kronos, maybe she wants our blood as a way to get even for that?" Percy suggested with a shrug.

"That could be it, just about every one of these guys attack us for some sort of revenge." Thalia agreed, frowning. "Look how many people want to kill Jason because of his name."

"Maybe..." Annabeth said. They did have a point, but she couldn't help but wonder if there was more to it.

**..."We will see," Her Ladyship grumbled. "Leave me now. Tend to your own preparations. You will have your spectacle. And I...I will work in darkness."**

**The dream dissolved, and Percy woke with a start.**

Annabeth and the others were silently relieved about that.

_Finally!_ Percy thought, shoulders slumping.

**Jason was knocking at his open doorway.**

**"We've set down in the water," he said, looking utterly exhausted. "Your turn."**

**Percy didn't want to, but he woke Annabeth. He figured even Coach Hedge wouldn't mind their talking after curfew if it meant giving her information that might save her life.**

_Not sure if this is the dream that would save me from life or death, if anything it made things worse._ Annabeth thought, with a scowl.

**They stood on deck, alone except for Leo, who was still manning the helm. The guy must have been shattered, but he refused to go to sleep.** Will gave the teen a disapproving look.

Hephaestus and his children gave Leo worried glances.

"Boy..." the god began.

"I know, I should've slept, but I couldn't," Leo told them. He hurriedly explained when he noticed Will's judging glare intensify. "Someone had to stay awake to stop another Shrimpzilla incident."

"And that person doesn't have to always be you, it could be Coach Hedge or Annabeth or anyone else on the ship." Will insisted. "You have to have your rest." He narrowed his eyes as if to say: _Remember what happened last time you decided to pull an all-nighter?_

Leo fought the urge to roll his eyes. Who could forget? That one time alone was enough to have his poor past-self curfewed for life.

**...It was about four in the morning. The weather was miserable. The fog was so thick, Percy couldn't see Festus at the end of the prow, and warm drizzle hung in the air like a bead curtain. As they sailed into twenty-foot swells, the sea heaving underneath them, Percy could hear poor Hazel down in her cabin...also heaving.**

Will and Nico cringed sympathetically.

**Despite all that, Percy was grateful to be back on the water...**

**He stood with Annabeth at the forward rail while he told her about his dream.**

**Percy wasn't sure how she'd take the news. Her reaction was even more troubling than he anticipated: she didn't seem surprised.**

_It's Arachne. Of course she'd want me dead._ Annabeth thought miserably.

**She peered into the fog. "Percy, you have to promise me something. Don't tell the others about this dream."**

"What?" Percy and the others turned to Annabeth in disbelief, they were even more troubled when they saw the unspoken agreement on her face. "Why can't I tell them? They might help."

"Or we might've tried to talk her out of it and made it harder for her to leave." Leo pointed out, but even as he said that, he couldn't help but feel hurt that Annabeth hadn't wanted him to know. He cared a lot about her, even considered her family. He wasn't sure what he would have done if he had been told that night, but he would have preferred knowing and going crazy about it then letting Percy and Annabeth deal with that terrible dream alone.

"Exactly," Annabeth nodded, feeling grateful that _finally_ someone got it. She turned to the others, "this isn't going to help them on their quest and they're better off not having to worry about it."

"I wouldn't say 'better off', I get why you didn't tell us but I still would've liked to have known." Leo couldn't help but say. He was literally right there too! They could have easily went over and talked to him, but Annabeth vetoed the idea.

Annabeth scowled. "Really? And are you the one to talk Mister 'I'd-Rather-Run-Back-To-the-Future-Then-Tell-Everyone-About-the-Romans'?"

Leo winced at the reminder.

"Er... that's a long name, can we stick to calling me 'Leo'?" he joked weakly, forcing a laugh. The Curse of Delos suddenly felt like a dead-weight in his pocket. If he had known talking was going to bring up his hypocrisy, he would've stayed quiet.

**..."Annabeth, you can't be serious. That thing in the dark, the big chamber with the crumbling floor—"**

**"I know." Her face looked unnaturally pale, and Percy suspected it wasn't just the fog. "But I have to do this alone."**

**Percy swallowed back his anger. He wasn't sure if he was mad at Annabeth, or his dream, or the entire Greek/Roman world that had endured and shaped human history for five thousand years with one goal in mind: to make Percy Jackson's life suck as much as possible.**

"Definitely that last one." Percy muttered. It wasn't Annabeth's fault this was happening. "Why can't we just get along without needing the statue?"

**"You know what's in that cavern," he guessed. "Does it have to do with spiders?"**

"I can't believe we haven't figured it out who this person is." Percy couldn't help but comment.

"Well, we didn't have a chance to talk about who would be guarding the statue," Leo said, looking down at the ball in his hands. They couldn't with how Annabeth reacted whenever her side-quest was brought up. And now that he looked back on it, she had ever only told them what she had to, not even Piper knew the details on what happened between Athena and Annabeth. The only person she ever confided in was Percy.

_I would've never known about that if I hadn't read this._ he realized, again, feeling hurt. He tried to tell himself to get over it. Annabeth was right in more ways than she had known, what he was doing now and what he tried to do yesterday wasn't much different from her own actions. He didn't have a problem hiding things from others, but when the shoe was on the other foot well...

_Okay this feels terrible, but I still can't tell them my plan. Look at how well they're taking Annabeth's quest!_ Leo pointed out, trying to ignore the gnawing guilt. _I need to do this and by the time everything goes through, I'll let them know the truth. I'll leave them a video scroll explaining why I did it and I'll come back to Camp as soon as I resurrect. Everyone will be so happy about the end of the war, they won't be too mad._

But even as he thought that, the tightness in his chest didn't ease up.

**"Yes," she said in a small voice.**

**"Then how can you even...?" He made himself stop.**

**He remembered the night three and a half years ago, when they'd saved Nico and Bianca di Angelo in Maine. Annabeth had been captured by the Titan Atlas.**

The readers, especially Apollo, Artemis, Thalia, the hunters, and Nico, grimaced at the reminder of that quest.

**For a while, Percy wasn't sure if she was alive or dead. He'd traveled across the country to save her from the Titan. It had been the hardest few days of his life—not just the monsters and the fighting, but the worry.**

**How could he** **_intentionally_ ** **let her go now, knowing she was heading into something even more dangerous?**

_You have to trust me, Percy._ Annabeth wanted to say, but stayed quiet. After all that has happened during this chapter, she was not in the mood for another back-and-forth.

**Then it dawned on him: the way he had felt back then, for a few days, was probably how** **Annabeth had felt for the six months he had been missing with amnesia.**

Percy guiltily winced. He hadn't thought about that.

**That made him feel guilty, and a little bit selfish, to be standing here arguing with her. She had to go on this quest. The fate of the world might depend on it. But part of him wanted to say:** **_Forget the world._ ** **He didn't want to be without her.**

Annabeth's face softened at that.

"Your fatal flaw is showing." she told him.

"It's the truth." Percy said with a sigh.

**Percy stared into the fog. He couldn't see anything around them, but he had perfect bearings at sea. He knew their exact latitude and longitude. He knew the depth of the ocean and which way the** **currents were flowing. He knew the ship's speed, and could sense no rocks, sandbars, or other natural** **dangers in their path. Still, being blind was unsettling.**

_I should've added fog lights when I was making the ship._ Leo thought distantly. Mind still focused on other things.

**They hadn't been attacked since they had touched the water, but the sea seemed different. Percy had been in the Atlantic, the Pacific, even the Gulf of Alaska, but this sea felt more ancient and powerful. Percy could sense its layers swirling below him. Every Greek or Roman hero had sailed these waters—from Hercules to Aeneas. Monsters still dwelt in the depths, so deeply wrapped in the Mist that they slept most of the time; but Percy could feel them stirring, responding to the Celestial bronze hull of a Greek trireme and the presence of demigod blood.**

**_They are back,_ ** **the monsters seemed to say.** **_Finally, fresh blood._ **

" _Great,_ just what we needed, _more_ monsters." Thalia groaned.

**"We're not far from the Italian coast," Percy said, mostly to break the silence. "Maybe a hundred nautical miles to the mouth of the Tiber."**

**"Good," Annabeth said. "By daybreak, we should—"**

**"Stop." Percy's skin felt washed with ice. "We have to stop."**

The readers tensed.

"What's happening?!" Lacy shrieked.

"I don't know! It could be another monster attack." Percy said, grimacing at the end.

**..."Leo, stop!" he yelled.**

**Too late. The other boat appeared out of the fog and rammed them head-on. In that split second, Percy registered random details: another trireme; black sails painted with a gorgon's head; hulking warriors, not quite human, crowded at the front of the boat in Greek armor, swords and spears ready; and a bronze ram at water level, slamming against the hull of the** **_Argo II._ **

_It's him._ Poseidon realized, shoulders slumping. He had been dreading this moment ever since the 'golden boy' had been mentioned.

_"Pirates? Now?"_ Percy complained. He should've known that they would've ran into pirates sooner or later, but did it really have to be at a time when nearly everyone on the ship was asleep?

"They had to have been expecting us." Annabeth said. There hasn't been a Demigod-run Greek trireme that sailed these waters in centuries yet they just so happened to know where to find them? This has to be a planned attack.

_This could be the 'golden boy's' ship._ she guessed.

**...Festus blew fire, sending a dozen very surprised warriors screaming and diving into the sea, but more swarmed aboard the** **_Argo II_ ** **. Grappling lines wrapped around the rails and the mast, digging iron claws into the hull's planks.**

The readers held their breaths.

**By the time Percy had recovered his wits, the enemy was everywhere.**

The readers grimaced.

_"Great,"_ Percy said sarcastically. He wondered if he had enough strength to fight these guys.

**He couldn't see well through the fog and the dark, but the invaders seemed to be humanlike dolphins, or dolphinlike humans.** Will frowned, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Dionysus looked up from his magazine, a slow smirk growing on his face.

The demigods stared at the book in bewilderment.

"Uh... what?" Connor said, frowning. He wanted to ask Will if this was some kind of joke, but now that he thought about it, he swore he had heard something about dolphin-people before.

"Dolphin-pirates? I've heard about this before..." Katie said, having similar thoughts.

"You have?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, we have! I remember now!" Travis said, eyes wide in realization. "These are the guys who mistaken Mr. D as a prince and held him hostage on their ship for ransom. Mr. D became so angry, that he turned the whole crew into dolphins..." He tilted his head. "Or dolphinlike humans judging by the description."

"Oh yeah," Will said, rolling his eyes. "I remember this story. He always likes to tell this before threatening to do the same to us."

"Nice to know you brats actually listen to me," the god said dryly.

"Who can forget? You've told me a dozen of times..." Travis grumbled, crossing his arms.

**Some had gray snouts. Others held their swords in stunted flippers. Some waddled on legs partially** **fused together, while others had flippers for feet, which reminded Percy of clown shoes.**

"Last time I saw them, they were flopping on the ship deck still getting used to their new sea legs..." Dionysus mused.

**Leo sounded the alarm bell. He made a dash for the nearest ballista but went down under a pile of chattering dolphin warriors.**

Hephaestus and the demigods cringed.

"Aw! And I was really hoping for a part two of the 'impersonating Lord Dionysus' schtick." Hermes said in disappointment. Dionysus glared at him.

"One offense was enough." he said shortly.

"Yeah, we don't need to repeat that." Leo agreed, rocking his chair.

**Annabeth and Percy stood back-to-back, as they'd done many times before, their weapons drawn. Percy tried to summon the waves, hoping he could push the ships apart or even capsize the enemy vessel, but nothing happened. It almost felt like something was pushing against his will, wresting the sea from his control.**

Percy's eyes widened briefly. "What? That shouldn't be possible, unless they have a minor sea god on the ship or..." he trailed off. It was at this point he noticed that his father was purposely turned away from him, refusing to make eye contact.

"A child of Poseidon." he said flatly. His theory proved to be correct by the god's wince. He rolled his eyes. _First Polyphemus, then Triton, now this new person. This is why I stopped accepting more family members after Tyson._

**He tried to think. Maybe he could break out of the circle and destroy a few invaders, but not without the others skewering him and Annabeth.**

**At least the warriors didn't seem interested in killing them immediately. They kept Percy and Annabeth contained while more of their comrades flooded belowdecks and secured the hull. Percy could hear them breaking down the cabin doors, scuffling with his friends. Even if the other demigods hadn't been fast asleep, they wouldn't have stood a chance against so many.**

Thalia worriedly bit her lip.

Aphrodite and her children winced.

Nico nervously twisted his skull ring and Poseidon guiltily bit his lip.

**Leo was dragged across the deck, half-conscious and groaning, and dumped on a pile of ropes.**

Hephaestus glared at the book.

"Such great treatment towards your hostages! I can't imagine why Dionysus turned you into were-dolphins." Leo said sarcastically. Despite the situation, Travis couldn't help but snicker.

**Below, the sounds of fighting tapered off. Either the others had been subdued or...or Percy refused to think about it.**

The readers winced.

**On one side of the ring of spears, the dolphin warriors parted to let someone through. He** **appeared to be fully human, but from the way the dolphins fell back before him, he was clearly the leader. He was dressed in Greek combat armor—sandals, kilt, and greaves, a breastplate decorated with elaborate sea monster designs—and everything he wore was gold. Even his sword, a Greek blade like Riptide, was gold instead of bronze.**

"There's the golden boy." Percy said flatly, crossing his arms. He can already tell this guy was going to be a pain.

**What really made Percy nervous was the guy's helmet. His visor was a full face mask fashioned like a gorgon's head—curved tusks, horrible features pinched into a snarl, and golden snake hair curling around the face. Percy had met gorgons before. The likeness was good—a little too good for his taste.**

Thalia instantly thought of her replica of the shield of Aegis. Her hand instinctively landed on her silver charm bracelet.

Percy tried not to look at his father (who suddenly glared at Athena) and frowned at the odd detail.

**Annabeth turned so she was shoulder to shoulder with Percy. He wanted to put his arm around her protectively, but he doubted she'd appreciate the gesture,**

"We're a _team,_ I don't need you protecting me." Annabeth told him, as if to prove his point.

**and he didn't want to give this golden guy any indication that Annabeth was his girlfriend. No sense giving the enemy more leverage than they already had.**

**"Who are you?" Percy demanded. "What do you want?"**

**The golden warrior chuckled. With a flick of his blade, faster than Percy could follow, he smacked Riptide out of Percy's hand and sent it flying into the sea.**

The demigods stiffened.

Gasping as if the wind was knocked out of him, Percy's eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates. He had never been disarmed so easily. _And this is supposed to be_ _my_ _element._

**"Hello, brother."**

"We're _not_ brothers." Percy said tightly, earning a grimace from his father.

**The golden warrior's voice was rich and velvety, with an exotic accent—Middle Eastern, maybe—that seemed vaguely familiar.**

The god of the sea sighed sadly. Percy briefly exchanged a confused glance with his girlfriend.

**"Always happy to rob a fellow son of Poseidon. I am Chrysaor, the Golden Sword. As for what I want..." He turned his metal mask toward Annabeth.**

Percy and Annabeth glared at the book.

**"Well, that's easy. I want everything you have."**

"And that's the end of the chapter." Will said. Annabeth couldn't help but feel relieved that this chapter was over.

"I know this is a bad time with the cliff-hanger, but can we have a break?" she suggested.

"I think that's a great idea," Poseidon said, eager to leave the room. Percy frowned at that remark. He wanted to stay and keep reading just so he could find out who exactly this 'Chrysaor' guy was and how did he get a crew of dolphin pirates, but one look at Annabeth's tired expression was enough for him to push his own wants aside and agree with the others.

"All in favor?"

Everyone raised their hands.

After getting up and stretching, the group walked to their usual dining room, thoughts still thinking about what they had read.


	30. Percy XXX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry for the long wait! This chapter was really difficult for me to write for some reason. I hope that you all enjoy it!

Leo slumped forward, fingers drumming on the table, chewing his lip. He swung his legs, hardly able to sit still as Jake and Nyssa studied the diagram he drew of the _Argo II_ , along with the notes he scrawled on the side. They were going back and forth on what adjustments should be made and while Leo knew he should be providing his own suggestions, he found himself becoming too fidgety and unfocused.

_I should be searching for clues on the ingredients by now..._ he thought, feeling a nauseating combination of guilt and uneasiness.

His emotions couldn't be helped, despite his best efforts he still found himself feeling anxious about the others finding out his plan. It wasn't so much as them stopping him that made him unnerved, but how they would react once it was done. If he had felt the way he did when he found out Annabeth and Percy were hiding things, he couldn't imagine how terrible they'd feel when they will find out he died and that he planned on doing this from the _start_. And planned it right under their noses too.

_Gods. They're going to kill me._ Leo slowly realized with a sinking feeling. No minutes on a video scroll was ever going to fix the damage he will do. _They're going to kill me, bring me back to life, and kill me again._

But it was worth it. It was worth it, Leo told himself firmly. He'd rather them be angry then any of them dead.

He felt his stomach twist itself into knots. He was going to do this, no turning back. Drumming his fingers faster, Leo missed Nyssa's question and the way she narrowed her eyes in annoyance.

His own eyes glanced around the room before landing at Cabin Ten's bench.

Aphrodite looked so out of place, sitting in an elegant pink dress with a chain seashell belt (if there's one thing they shared, Leo guessed Piper and Aphrodite had the same sense of humor), surrounded by a bunch of orange-shirted kids. He was honestly surprised she hadn't given them her usual extreme makeover, instead she held her forehead, eyes were darting from teen to teen, struggling to keep up with what everyone was saying.

"And then she said-"

"She headbutt her in the stomach like a bull! Bobby pins and extensions went everywhere! And-"

"My neighbor had a whole colony of squirrels living in his attic, he tried to remove them himself but-"

"Mom! Mom! Listen to this! So there's this boy in my class-"

"-But she said-"

"So I told them 'His beard his obviously penciled in'. I mean he's always been-"

"Mom!"

"Mother!"

"MOM!"

The Cabin Ten children were all yelling over each other, trying to get their mother's attention. A few were eagerly waving their hands.

Finally, the goddess lifted her hands up.

"Children, children! One at a time, Mother can't hear you all when you're talking at once."

Obediently, the teens went quiet, save for a couple of grumbles and someone complaining 'I was getting to the _best_ part'.

Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, the goddess squinted at one of her daughters. "Now Lily, what was that about the man with the squirrels?"

Said girl's face lit up. She flashed her siblings a smug smirk before recounting her story in more detail. The others listened, fidgeting as they impatiently waited for her to finish. After a while, a couple gave up and began to add their own commentary, others soon joining them. It wasn't long before they all started talking at once, going back to square one.

Leo's attention was pulled away from the scene when Nyssa insistently snapped her fingers.

"Hey, I'm trying to talk to you." she said tightly. Jake was busying himself by rereading the notes, but Leo could tell he was just as annoyed as her by his grip on the paper.

"Sorry," Leo frowned with a twinge of guilt. He was feeling that a lot recently, he noticed, suppressing a sigh. "What were you saying?"

She scowled. "I _said,_ instead of limiting the storage area to where it is, we should expand it to where the stables are going to be."

She tapped at the larger left section of the lower deck. "It'll give us enough space to store more supplies and building material."

Leo tilted his head. "Do we really need that much room? The quest isn't supposed to last long. Isn't that overkill?"

"You had to land to find more supplies," Nyssa reminded. "And with all the monsters that you'll be facing in Rome, I'd rather you be over prepared than under prepared."

"I agree," Jake stepped in, clicking his pen. "With how much damage the ship's taken against Shrimpzilla alone, I don't want anything worse to happen to it when you get to Rome." He hesitated briefly, catching himself on something. "And you, I definitely don't want anything to happen to you and the others. I mean-"

"I know," Leo reassured, swallowing a lump in his throat. Here Jake was worrying about him and he was secretly planning his own death. He shoved the thought away as quickly as it was brought up. "I guess it would help. With all the things Will's going to want us to have, I'll doubt it'll fit in one room."

Nyssa took the pen and paper from Jake. "Well, hopefully he doesn't go overboard with the packing-"

"I think 'overboard' is the definition of Will Solace." Leo considered his words briefly. "That and 'mother hen'."

"Let's write down what we need," Nyssa continued, the sides of her mouth twitching to a ghost of a smile. "Lime and tar, we'll just get those out of the way."

"More wood for repairs," Jake added, Leo nodded his head enthusiastically in agreement.

As they listed off more supplies, Hephaestus stood in the sidelines, watching his children from afar. He couldn't help but feel jealous towards Aphrodite. His wife was always a social butterfly, he knew, but did Aphrodite have to make forming a relationship with her children look so _easy?_ She was hardly putting an effort and her children were so eager to talk to her. No awkward silence, no conversations with undertones of resentment (although he deserved it), it was unlike anything he had experienced before in the rare opportunities he had with his children and he couldn't help but wonder what he was doing wrong.

Around him the other gods were having similar thoughts. They watched with confusion and displeasure as the goddess of love laughed loudly at one of her sons' stories.

"Another tea party?" Apollo asked. Feeling inadequate, he narrowed his eyes at the scene. "I thought she only did those on quests."

"I know, she'll spend time with some of her kids here and there but never like this." Hermes muttered, feeling awkward about the situation. _He_ should be sitting at a table talking with his children as well. After the death of Luke, he really should gather everyone and give them the heart-to-heart they deserved ages ago.

_But if I do that now, they'll just think I'm only doing it because of Aphrodite..._ Hermes grimaced, daring to look in his sons' direction.

The Stolls were in the middle of a card game (and cheating, judging by the extra cards sticking out of Travis' back pocket), but the god caught them giving brief glances at Cabin Ten's table, talking softly to one another, and he anxiously tensed. What were they thinking right now? Did this make them resent Hermes more? What was _Chris_ thinking? Did he regret rejoining the Olympians' side of the war?

He shifted from leg to leg, suddenly unable to stand still. Wringing his hands, he almost didn't hear Demeter snort at the latest spectacle.

"You know, _I_ did it first and I barely got this much attention." the goddess pointed out, pouring more milk into her cereal bowl. "Katie, Leo, and I were enjoying cereal together and no one made a big deal out of it, but Aphrodite finally decides to give someone besides herself attention and it's the talk of the town."

"We heard what you were talking about and it's what you always say to whoever's around." Poseidon said dismissively, watching the scene. "You were blowing off steam, this is different."

So different, the god of the sea was surprised this was even happening. From the way she brags about them, Aphrodite was clearly fond of her children, but she had always seemed content with just loving them from a distance, only popping in their lives here and there to help when needed the most. It was a parenting method that most of the gods had picked up, it avoided showing favoritism and prevented confronting the reminder that you are just now becoming a part of your child's life.

Poseidon wondered what made Aphrodite change and how far will she go. Did Percy's words play a role in this?

At the thought of his son, the god cringed. The next chapter was going to be horrible, he could already feel it.

_As if Percy going on this quest and the upcoming war wasn't enough..._ the god thought tiredly.

As the god was anxiously waiting for the break to be over, the Hephaestus children were finishing up their list. From Celestial bronze to fiber glass, the trio comprised an inventory of enough materials to repair any damages on the ship.

"I just hope we're not forgetting anything..." Nyssa said, sliding the paper to the middle of the table.

Leo picked up the paper and checked the front and the back. Next to his messy writing, Nyssa's tiny words were easy to miss and squished in corners. He hoped other people would be able to read it as he passed it to Jake.

"Doubt it. We have enough stuff to build another ship," Leo remarked with a frown.

His brother took the paper. He squinted and brought it close to his face as he double-checked everything. He tilted the paper to the side a bit then tilted it to the other, earning an eye roll from Nyssa.

"Looks good, if we forget anything we can just add it to the list." Jake said once he finally managed to read the handwriting.

Nyssa simply nodded her head. "Good."

Then the trio fell into an awkward silence. Looking at each other, not sure where to go now that the work was done.

Or at least Nyssa and Jake were unsure, after months of working on the ship, Leo was used to the lapses of silence. Usually they would last for five uncomfortable minutes before someone excused themselves and they would all leave, off to a camp activity or their work on the ship. Leo was wondering what excuse he should use so he could leave the table. Something that won't make them ask any questions and would give him enough time to do more research on the Physician's Cure (Leo ignored a stab of guilt). He couldn't use the bathroom again, you can only use that for so many times before people start thinking something's wrong with you.

Maybe a simple 'See ya' later'? But wouldn't it look suspicious when he just leaves the room?

'Going to go stretch my legs'? _Ehh..._ Still awkward and suspicious.

Just leave?

Twirling a tiny screwdriver in his hand, Leo was pulled out of his thoughts when Jake cleared his throat.

" _So,_ Leo, what are you going to do after you finish the Great Prophecy?" he asked, trying to sound upbeat and not as uncomfortable as he felt.

Caught off guard, Leo fumbled with the screwdriver. Thinking he misheard, he turned to his brother, eyebrows furrowed. "Huh?"

Jake shifted nervously. This bonding thing was going to be harder than he thought. He glanced at Nyssa, who gave him a small encouraging nod, and shrugged helplessly to Leo. "Well, this is going to end eventually, right? So I'm just wondering what are you going to do with the rest of your summer when it's over."

"Oh." Leo blinked. For a moment, he was stumped. With the quest, time traveling, and his plan, he didn't have time to think of what happens after he gets everything done. If he hadn't already, Leo guessed the next step would be to find Calypso's island. "Travel, I think."

His siblings sadly slumped their shoulders.

"Oh." Nyssa said, disappointment evident in her voice. When she saw Leo frown in response, she tried to perk up. "That's good! It's nice to explore and relax after a quest! It's just..."

She tried to find the right words. Giving up, she grunted and picked at the Smiley face band aid wrapped around her finger.

"After you travel, maybe you can come back to Camp." Jake suggested. Nyssa looked up from her band aid and nodded in agreement, giving her brother a grateful glance. "Ya' know, hang out? We can do a big project together."

Nyssa shyly grinned at Leo. "Shane and Harley have been talking non-stop about making a hover craft, maybe we can do that."

With a warm and fuzzy feeling in his chest, Leo smiled back. He practically see it now: Coming back to Camp, riding a fully-repaired Festus with Calypso sitting behind him. Everyone would be furious at him, but his fantasy glossed over the consequences in favor of imagining him, Cabin Nine, and Calypso working together to make an awesome hovercraft, complete with four seats and cup-holders. _Oh!_ And a stereo they can blast music on when they're riding around Camp! That'd be awesome!

The more he imagined it, the more he looked forward to introducing his siblings to his... _er... Calypso_. They would love her! She was so resourceful and hardworking! She'd fit right in!

"That sounds great, I know someone who can help us!" Leo found himself saying excitedly. He beat down the small flames that were starting to sprout on his jacket.

Leo's excitement was contagious, soon his siblings were smiling widely as well.

"Really?" Jake said. "Who?"

" _Uhhhh..."_ Leo's eyes momentarily widened in realization of the situation he put himself in. He tried to play it cool as he shrugged. "My _friend."_

As he choked out the word, Leo had a bad taste in his mouth, but he ignored it as he continued the conversation. "So what are you guys going to do after we're done reading the books?"

Jake talked about going back to high school soon, along with his new schedule and teachers. Nyssa talked about applying for a part-time job at a bicycle shop. They were so caught up in their conversations, leaving to find the ingredients didn't even cross Leo's mind until Zeus announced that break time was over.

As he got up, Leo knew he should be upset at a missed opportunity, and if it was earlier that morning, he would've been. Yet, listening to Nyssa talk about her upcoming interview, he found himself not really minding.

He still had enough time to find out about the Physician's Cure. Right now, he just wanted to convince Nyssa that there was no way she _wasn't_ getting that job.

* * *

As everyone was sitting down, Jake took the book.

"I'll read," he said, upbeat. Considering the chapter he was about to read, his tone was met with raised eyebrows and bemused frowns.

Hardly noticing, Jake flipped to the chapter they left off on.

" **Percy XXX** ," Jake began.

Poseidon was already biting his lip, staring at the ground as if he were waiting for it to swallow him whole.

Percy sat stiffly in his chair, arms crossed.

**PERCY'S HEART DID JUMPING JACKS while Chrysaor walked back and forth, inspecting them like prized cattle.** Jake's grin quickly turned into a scowl.

Percy and Annabeth glared at the book as the others anxiously listened on.

**A dozen of his dolphin-man warriors stayed in a ring around them, spears leveled at Percy's chest, while dozens more ransacked the ship, banging and crashing around below decks. One carried a box of ambrosia up the stairs.**

Will groaned in annoyance. "Seriously? Out of all the things they could've taken.." He gave Leo a pleading look. "Please don't tell me that is your only supply of ambrosia."

With a frown, Leo rolled his screwdriver in between his palms. "It wasn't our last box, but we definitely didn't have enough to share with a bunch of pirate dolphins."

Will didn't like the sound of that. _Just how much medical supplies do they have in the Infirmary?_

**Another carried an armful of ballista bolts and a crate of Greek fire.**

The demigods tensed.

"If they're not careful with that, they could end up blowing up both of our ships." Annabeth said, squeezing her necklace.

**..."Ha!" Chrysaor said. "We know all about Greek fire, girl. Don't worry. We've been looting and pillaging ships on the Mare Nostrum for eons."**

**"Your accent sounds familiar," Percy said. "Have we met?"**

Confused, Percy tilted his head.

"I don't think so..." he said, racking his brain for answers. "I would've remembered meeting another son of Poseidon." _Especially one that's a pirate who wants me dead._

"You don't know him, but you've met his mother." Poseidon muttered, too low for Percy to hear. He sent Athena a venomous glare.

Having a feeling what the reason might be, the goddess of wisdom sneered back.

**"I haven't had the pleasure." Chrysaor's golden gorgon mask snarled at him** **...** **"But I've heard all about you, Percy Jackson. Oh, yes, the young man who saved Olympus. And his faithful sidekick, Annabeth Chase."**

Annabeth bristled. "I'm nobody's sidekick!"

**...[Annabeth]"And, Percy, his accent sounds familiar because he sounds like his mother. We killed her in New Jersey."**

Poseidon winced.

Percy's frown deepened. "New Jersey?" Then it clicked. The gorgon mask. The accent. " _Medusa's_ his _mom?"_   He sucked air through his teeth and cringed. "That sucks."

Percy ignored Poseidon's disapproving glance.

"You've fought Medusa before?" Leo said in disbelief.

"It was a long time ago, our first quest together." Grover told him. "She used to live in a garden statuary shop off a main highway in New Jersey. Anybody who went in there... well..." he grimaced, thinking about his Uncle Ferdinand.

Getting the point, Leo winced. "Yikes. How'd you beat her?"

"With Annabeth and Grover's help, I managed to cut Medusa's head off," Percy said.

"And he mailed said head to Olympus addressed to the gods," Annabeth added, fondly rolling her eyes. 

Percy ducked his head so the gods wouldn't see his smirk. Said immortals were glaring daggers at the boy, especially Zeus. 

_The blatant disrespect._ the god thought with gritted teeth.

The demigods softly snickered as Leo's jaw dropped.

"Wait," Leo finally said, hands motioning a 'time-out'. "You sent _the gods_ the head of Medusa. _Medusa._ "

"Yeah," Percy tried not to sound so smug about it. 

"...How are you not dead?" Leo asked. The son of Poseidon laughed at the bluntness of his question.

"The Fates, my dad, luck?" Percy listed out with a shrug, now widely smiling. "Take your pick."

Zeus's glare intensified as Jake continued reading.

**..." _Medusa_ is your mom?" he asked. "Dude, that sucks for you."**

"Did you have to say that to his face?" Annabeth groaned.

Percy's smile became more sheepish. "Sorry."

**Judging from the sound in Chrysaor's throat, he was now snarling under the mask, too.**

**"You are as arrogant as the _first_ Perseus," Chrysaor said. "But, yes, Percy Jackson. Poseidon was my father. Medusa was my mother. After Medusa was changed into a monster by that so-called goddess of wisdom..." **

"She deserved what she got after desecrating my temple!" Athena seethed. "My priestess of all people! Getting romantic at the foot of _my statue!"_

"Why do these problems always come back to one of Athena's statues?" Leo muttered to himself.

The goddess of wisdom glared at Poseidon. "That was your idea! I know it was!"

"So what if it was?" Poseidon challenged. "There's nothing you can do about it!"

Athena fumed at his words. He was right, although she was a powerful goddess, Poseidon was not the type of enemy you wanted to attack directly. It was what made her choose to curse Medusa in the first place.

Worried that things might escalate further, Jake hastily continued reading. 

**The golden mask turned on Annabeth. "That would be _your_ mother, I believe...Medusa's two children were trapped inside her, unable to be born.**

"Not my problem." Athena scoffed. She and Poseidon glared at each other again.

**When the original Perseus cut off Medusa's head—"**

**"Two children sprang out," Annabeth remembered. "Pegasus and you."**

Travis made a face. "A pegasus...?"

"Not _a_ pegasus." Poseidon corrected, breaking eye contact with Athena as he turned to the demigods. " _The_ Pegasus, the first of his kind." he said proudly.

**Percy blinked. "So your brother is a winged horse. But you're also my half brother, which means all the flying horses in the world are my...You know what? Let's forget it."**

"It's best not to think about it." Katie said, thoughts drifting to familial ties with Arion. She cringed.

**He'd learned years ago it was better not to dwell too much on who was related to whom on the godly side of things. After Tyson the Cyclops adopted him as a brother, Percy decided that that was about as far as he wanted to extend the family.**

Poseidon felt a pang of sadness hearing that.

**"But if you're Medusa's kid," he said, "why haven't I ever heard of you?"**

_You had to bring it up._ Poseidon sighed.

**Chrysaor sighed in exasperation. "When your brother is Pegasus, you get used to being forgotten. Oh, look, a winged horse! Does anyone care about me? No!"**

"Well, maybe if you looked more like your mom, people would notice you." Percy unhelpfully suggested. He couldn't feel sympathetic even if he tried. "Is that why you wear the mask? So people can make the connection?"

**He raised the tip of his blade to Percy's eyes. "But don't underestimate me. My name means the Golden Sword for a reason."**

"Because that's the only thing about you that makes you interesting?" Percy pretended to guess. 

_Percy._ Poseidon wanted to sigh, but chose to remain silent. Instead, he rubbed his temples and listened as Jake continued reading.

**"Imperial gold?" Percy guessed.**

**"Bah! _Enchanted_ gold, yes. Later on, the Romans called it Imperial gold, but I was the first to ever wield such a blade. I should have been the most famous hero of all time! Since the legend-tellers decided to ignore me, I became a villain instead. I resolved to put my heritage to use. As the son of** **Medusa, I would inspire terror. As the son of Poseidon, I would rule the seas!"**

"Must not have been that good of a hero for you to turn so easily into a villain." Annabeth remarked with a scowl.

"I know right, that's really the reason he became bad?" Percy rolled his eyes. "Talk about desperate for attention."

**"You became a pirate," Annabeth summed up.**

**Chrysaor spread his arms, which was fine with Percy since it got the sword point away from his eyes.**

**"The _best_ pirate," Chrysaor said. **

"Then why haven't I heard of you?" Percy asked flatly.

**"I've sailed these waters for centuries, waylaying any demigods foolish enough to explore the Mare Nostrum. This is my territory now. And all you have is mine."**

Percy glared at the book. Chrysaor finally stopped pointing that stupid sword in his face and his big mouth's been talking long enough, maybe now his pen has materialized back and he could catch this guy off guard.

_I just need a distraction._ he thought.

**One of the dolphin warriors dragged Coach Hedge up from below.**

_And there he is._ Percy grinned. If anybody could buy him enough time, it had to be Coach Hedge.

**"Let me go, you tuna fish!" Hedge bellowed. He tried to kick the warrior, but his hoof clanged off his captor's armor. Judging from the hoof-shaped prints in the dolphin's breastplate and helmet, the coach had already made several attempts.**

**"Ah, a satyr," Chrysaor mused. "A little old and stringy,**

"Ouch." Leo cringed. Using his screwdriver, he tapped out a beat on the wall.

**but Cyclopes will pay well for a morsel like him. Chain him up."**

**"I'm nobody's goat meat!" Hedge protested.**

_You tell'em, Coach._ Percy thought. Maybe if he was lucky, Coach Hedge will start a back and forth with Chrysaor. The satyr's insults alone should be enough to catch the pirate off guard long enough for Percy to strike.

**"Gag him as well," Chrysaor decided.**

Percy's shoulders slumped. _So much for my great idea._

He sighed, brushing his hair back. All he needed was one good distraction. 

**"Why you gilded little—" Hedge's insult was cut short when the dolphin put a greasy wad of** **canvas in his mouth.**

Percy sighed again.

**Soon the coach was trussed like a rodeo calf and dumped with the other loot—crates of food, extra weapons, even the magical ice chest from the mess hall.**

"Did they really have to try and steal my ice chest? Do they realize how expensive those are?" Leo grumbled. Pocketing his screwdriver, he took out a few Post-It's from his jacket. 

He folded on of the small squared papers.

"What's so special about a magical cooler?" Chris asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"Man, you haven't lived until you eaten a sundae cone straight from a magical ice chest." Leo told the teen. His mouth watered at the thought of the frozen dessert, if he wasn't always fighting monsters and steering the ship, he'd be eating them all day.

**"You can't do this!" Annabeth shouted.**

**Chrysaor's laughter reverberated inside his gold face mask. Percy wondered if he was horribly disfigured under there, or if his gaze could petrify people the way his mother's could.**

"Whatever he looks like, he can't be memorable." Percy said, crossing his arms. "Not like his brother."

**"I can do anything I want," Chrysaor said. "My warriors have been trained to perfection. They are vicious, cutthroat—"**

"Does he realize he's talking about were-dolphins?" Connor remarked.

**...Chrysaor shrugged. "Yes. So? They had some bad luck a few millennia ago, kidnapped the wrong person. Some of their crew got turned completely into dolphins. Others went mad. But these...these survived as hybrid creatures. When I found them under the sea and offered them a new life, they became my loyal crew. They fear nothing!"**

Raising an eyebrow, Dionysus looked up from his magazine. 

"Really? Guess I didn't make a strong enough first impression." There was a glint in his eyes. "Maybe I should pay their little ship a visit."

**One of the warriors chattered at him nervously.  
**

**"Yes, yes," Chrysaor growled. "They fear _one_ thing, but it hardly matters. He's not here."**

_That's more like it,_ Dionysus thought with a smirk.

"This would've been the perfect time for you to jump up and say 'Yes he is!'" Hermes told Leo.

"Yeah, and they would've laughed in my face and thrown me overboard." the son of Hephaestus deadpanned. He threw his paper air plane. It took a nose dive onto the floor.

Meanwhile, Percy's mind was racing with this new piece of information. So they were scared of Mr. D? Maybe he could do something to convince them that he and his friends were under the god's protection. Or maybe that he was coming on the ship. He thought back to Leo's Dionysus impression. If he could do something similar, he might have the whole crew panic enough to cause a distraction. 

**An idea began tickling at the base of Percy's skull.**

Percy hoped it was something similar to his own idea.

**Before he could pursue it, more dolphin warriors climbed the stairs, hauling up the rest of his friends.**

Percy grimaced and the others tensed.

Leo continued throwing paper air planes.

**Jason was unconscious. Judging from the new bruises on his face, he'd tried to fight.**

Thalia winced.

**Hazel and Piper were bound hand and foot.**

Hades, Nico, Aphrodite, and Cabin Ten grimaced.

**Piper had a gag in her mouth, so apparently the dolphins had discovered she could charmspeak. Frank was the only one missing, though two of the dolphins had bee stings covering their faces.**

Annabeth sighed with relief. "That's good, if he's somewhere around the ship, maybe he can help cause a distraction. Make the group split up or find a way to free the girls."

_Or make them believe we're cursed._ Percy realized. The more he thought about it, the crazier it sounded. There was so many things that can go wrong. Leo pretending to be Mr. D was one thing, but with this idea, he had to rely on others who would have no clue what he was doing. He hoped that if his future self came up with the same idea, it didn't end up with his friends getting killed.

**..."Excellent!" Chrysaor gloated. He directed his warriors to dump Jason by the crossbows.**

Thalia glared at the book.

**Then he examined the girls like they were Christmas presents, which made Percy grit his teeth.**

Like he was doing now.

The demigods and hunters looked equally repulsed. 

Poseidon avoided eye contact with everyone.

**"The boy is no use to me," Chrysaor said. "But we have an understanding with the witch Circe. She will buy the women—either as slaves or trainees, depending on their skill.**

A few of the teens shuddered.

"It doesn't sound like there's much of a difference." Lacy whimpered, wrapping her arms around herself. 

**But not you, lovely Annabeth."** Jake made a face as he read that line.

Annabeth reared back in her chair. 

Athena, Thalia, and Percy glared at the book.

_Where's my pen? It should be here by now._ Percy thought impatiently. He needed to do something, this was starting to become too much. Just hearing that creep call his girlfriend 'lovely' made him want to throw the pirate into the mouth of a great white shark.

**Annabeth recoiled. "You are _not_ taking me anywhere."**

**Percy's hand crept to his pocket. His pen had appeared back in his jeans.**

_Finally!_ Percy silently added.

**He only needed a moment's distraction to draw his sword. Maybe if he could take down Chrysaor quickly, his crew would panic.**

**...The golden warrior tutted. "Oh, sadly, Annabeth, you will not be staying with me. I would love that.**

Annabeth crossed her arms and scowled.

**But you and your friend Percy are spoken for. A certain goddess is paying a high bounty for your capture—alive, if possible, though she didn't say you had to be unharmed."**

"Great, those stupid bounties Gaea made worked." Thalia said sarcastically.

**At that moment, Piper caused the disturbance they needed. She wailed so loudly it could be heard** **through her gag. Then she fainted against the nearest guard, knocking him over. Hazel got the idea and crumpled to the deck, kicking her legs and thrashing like she was having a fit.**

The readers perked up.

_Now's my chance._ Percy thought, feeling a rush of adrenaline. 

Having similar feelings, the demigods could barely sit still as they waited to find out what happened next.

**Percy drew Riptide and lashed out. The blade should have gone straight through Chrysaor's neck,**

Poseidon's breath hitched. **  
**

**but the golden warrior was unbelievably fast. He dodged and parried**

The god let out a silent sigh of relief.

**as the dolphin warriors backed up, guarding the other captives while giving their captain room to battle. They chattered and** **squeaked, egging him on, and Percy got the sinking suspicion the crew was used to this sort of** **entertainment. They didn't feel their leader was in any sort of danger.**

With a flare of annoyance, Percy narrowed his eyes. _We'll see about that._ _  
_

**Percy hadn't crossed swords with an opponent like this since...well, since he'd battled the war god Ares. Chrysaor was _that_ good. Many of Percy's powers had gotten stronger over the years, but now, too late, Percy realized that swordplay wasn't one of them.**

The demigods sat there stunned. A few whispered to each other.

"Percy's the most skilled swordsman in Camp if he can't beat this guy-"

"What's Chrysaor's training routine? Fight six hydras a day? Percy shouldn't be struggling the way he is."

Realizing he wasn't going to win, Percy's face fell.

_You have got to be kidding me,_ he thought slowly, anger growing. _After the sword fights I've had with Luke, Hades and his army, Hyperion, and Kronos, I can't beat this guy? How is that possible?_

**He was rusty—at least against an adversary like Chrysaor.**

"I've fought with Titans!" Percy argued, affronted by those words. "How am I rusty?!"

"You've fought Titans with your Achilles Heel." Annabeth pointed out, looking just as unhappy as him.

"But I'm not a pushover! I was able to beat Ares in a sword-fight when I was _twelve!"_

"You were lucky, that's all." the god of war said, feeling smug that Percy was being so easily defeated.

He scowled at Ares. " _I was not-"_

"Percy," Annabeth put a hand on his arm. "Calm down. We'll just have to find another way to defeat Chrysaor."

Percy took a deep breath and let it out. She was right, he needed a better strategy if he wanted to beat the golden boy and his crew and the only way he could think of doing that was by doing his stupid plan.

_Hopefully Future Percy comes up with something better._ the son of Poseidon thought. There were too many risks and they couldn't afford to make any more mistakes.

**They battled back and forth, thrusting and parrying. Without meaning to, Percy heard the voice of Luke Castellan, his first sword-fighting mentor at Camp Half-Blood, throwing out suggestions.**

_Were they anything useful?_ Percy thought tiredly. **  
**

**But it didn't help.**

_Of course. Thanks anyway Luke._ Percy sighed.

**The golden gorgon mask was too unnerving. The warm fog, the slick deck boards, the chattering** **of the warriors—none of it helped.**

_But I've fought in worse conditions, why am I like this?_ he thought brushing his hair back.

**And in the corner of his eye, Percy could see one of the dolphin-** **men holding a knife at Annabeth's throat in case she tried anything tricky.**

The son of Poseidon tensed.

"I'll be fine." Annabeth assured him.

**He feinted and thrust at Chrysaor's gut, but Chrysaor anticipated the move. He knocked Percy's sword out of his hand again, and once more Riptide flew into the sea.**

Percy groaned loudly in frustration before burying his face in his hands. _Gods,_ he hated this guy. 

**Chrysaor laughed easily. He wasn't even winded.**

Percy wanted to punch him in his forgettable face.

**He pressed the tip of his golden sword against Percy's sternum.**

**"A good try," said the pirate. "But now you'll be chained and transported to Gaea's minions. They are quite eager to spill your blood and wake the goddess."**

"It's not over yet." Percy swore.

"That's the end of the chapter," Jake said. His statement earned looks of disbelief from everyone.

"That quick?" Percy frowned. He knew he shouldn't be complaining but still, he needed to find out what happens next. 

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long.

"I'll read next," Nyssa said taking the book.

" **Percy XXXI** ," she read.


	31. Percy XXXI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the chapter that everyone was waiting for, I hope you all enjoy it!

" **Percy XXXI** ," Nyssa read.

Percy impatiently drummed his fingers on his knees.

**NOTHING LIKE TOTAL FAILURE to generate great ideas.**

"Or desperate, depending the situation." Leo mused.

"Let's hope we're past that point." Percy said.

**As Percy stood there, disarmed and outmatched, the plan formed in his head. He was so used to Annabeth providing Greek legend information that he was kind of stunned to actually remember something useful,**

"It's not that surprising." Percy dramatically rolled his eyes as Annabeth grinned at him. The demigods snickered.

 **but he** **_had_ ** **to act fast. He couldn't let anything happen to his friends. He wasn't going to lose Annabeth—not again.**

Percy nodded his head.

Annabeth took his hand in hers and squeezed it.

**Chrysaor couldn't be beat. At least not in single combat.**

Percy scowled but didn't say anything. He tapped his foot.

With her free hand, Annabeth played with her necklace, deep in thought.

**But without his crew...maybe then he could be overwhelmed if enough demigods attacked him at once.**

The daughter of Athena perked up.

"That's what I was just thinking," she admitted. "But I don't know how we're going to do that."

Percy had an idea, but he really hoped his future self wouldn't try it.

 **How to deal with Chrysaor's crew? Percy put the pieces together: the pirates had been turned into** **dolphin-men millennia ago when they had kidnapped the wrong person. Percy** ** _knew_** **that story.**

"Everyone at Camp has heard that story at least once," Connor said.

"You know you've been at Camp Half-Blood for a while when you can recount Mr. D's story word per word." Travis said before adding in his Mr. D voice: "And what I did to those pirates is going to look like a 4th of July Celebration compared to what I'm going to do to you, Tom!" As he said the name, Travis made a big show of rolling his eyes.

Hermes glared at the god. Dionysus glared at Travis.

"Can he really be camp director when he's constantly threatening our children's lives?" Athena pointed out.

"It's not like there was ever a time he's gone through with his threats," Zeus said. _At least, none that I'm aware of._

 **Heck,** **the wrong person in question had threatened to turn** ** _him_** **into a dolphin.**

Now Poseidon was glaring at the god.

"I never did," Dionysus said with a shrug.

"Only because of my dad," Percy muttered under his breath.

 **And when Chrysaor said the** **crew wasn't afraid of anything, one of the dolphins had nervously corrected him.** ** _Yes,_** **Chrysaor said.** ** _But he's not here._**

The demigods gave Percy confused looks.

" _Yee-aaah_ , that's what he said." Travis agreed, not sure where this was going.

"Are you going to make them believe that Dionysus is on the ship?" Annabeth guessed, eyebrows furrowed. She didn't expect Percy to know the answer (this _did_ happen in the future, after all), so she was surprised to see her boyfriend look _embarrassed_ by the question.

"Something like that." he said.

Now the readers turned to him in surprise.

"You know what's going to happen?" Jake asked.

Percy shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Not really, but I think I have an idea on where this is going." He just hoped things didn't end in a disaster.

The others exchanged looks, not exactly comforted by Percy's nervous expression, but they didn't press him as Nyssa kept reading.

**Percy glanced toward the stern and spotted Frank, in human form, peeking out from behind a ballista, waiting.**

Ares scoffed. _Perfect, just take your time. It's not like your team need you or anything._ He rolled his eyes.

**Percy resisted the urge to smile. The big guy claimed to be clumsy and useless, but he always seemed to be in exactly the right place when Percy needed him.**

"He needs to stop underestimating himself." Annabeth muttered.

**The girls...Frank...the ice chest.**

Now confirmed on what was about to happen, Percy groaned.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow at him. "That bad?"

"I don't have a choice." he said instead, her frown deepened.

**..."Fine!" Percy shouted, so loudly that he got everyone's attention. "Take us away, if our captain will let you."**

The readers looked momentarily confused.

"Frank?" Mitchell guessed since that was the only person not held captive.

**[Chrysaor]... "What captain? My men searched the ship. There is no one else."**

**Percy raised his hands dramatically. "The god appears only when he wishes. But he is our leader.**

The readers started slowly smiling.

"Wait," Connor smirked. "Of all people, you're going to tell them that _Mr. D's_ your captain?"

 _Already off on such a believable start._ Travis snickered.

"And what's so bad about that, _Chris?"_ Dionysus asked the Stoll.

"Nothi-" Chris and Connor both began. They exchanged looks before sighing in annoyance. They hated when Mr. D did that.

"There's nothing inherently wrong with it," Hermes said with a chuckle. "But I'm just having a hard time seeing you as a captain of a ship."

Percy had to admit that for anyone who knew how lazy the god was, wouldn't be able to believe that Dionysus would ever lead a ship, much less a ship full of demigods. The only thing Percy could see him being a captain of was a Pinochle team and even then, he'd lose to Chiron every time.

**He runs our camp for demigods. Doesn't he, Annabeth?"**

"Define 'runs'." Connor said to his brother, the two bit back their laughter.

**Annabeth was quick. "Yes!" She nodded enthusiastically. "Mr. D! The great Dionysus!"**

Dionysus would have been pleased to hear her praise if he didn't know this was a part of their scheme.

"Why is it always me involved in these plans?" he muttered grumpily to himself. First da Vinci, now Peter Johnson? There were eleven other Olympians, couldn't they use one of _them_ to deal with their problems? Why him?

**A ripple of uneasiness passed through the dolphin-men. One dropped his sword.**

The demigods started laughing, Leo joining them.

Despite his annoyance, Dionysus smirked.

 _It's actually working._ Percy thought in mild surprise.

**"Stand fast!" Chrysaor bellowed. "There is no god on this ship.**

"He already said he was away," Travis pointed out. "Our Lord and Savior, Captain Dionysus, has much more important things to attend to than babysitting his lowly crew." He could barely keep a straight face as he said this.

"Right, he must save Pac-Man from those despicable ghosts!" Connor said, fighting back a laugh.

Leo snickered.

**They are trying to scare you."**

_Or not._ Percy decided with a grimace. Figures the 'Almighty Chrysaor' would be able to see right through his plan.

Seeing the doubt on his face, Annabeth bumped her shoulder against his.

"You still have a chance," she told him. "You just have to keep trying to convince the dolphin-men that Dionysus is our captain."

**"You should be scared!" Percy looked at the pirate crew with sympathy.**

"I am, I'm terrified." Apollo reassured the teen, looking anything but.

**"Dionysus will be severely cranky with you for having delayed our voyage.**

"Now that, I can believe." Apollo said.

"He'll still be cranky even if you're on time." Hermes pointed out.

Dionysus scowled at the two.

 **He will punish all of us.** **Didn't you notice the girls** **falling into the wine god's madness?"**

**Hazel and Piper had stopped the shaking fits. They were sitting on the deck, staring at Percy,**

Despite how serious the situation was, the others couldn't help but laugh at Piper and Hazel's reaction.

"They're cured!" Apollo gasped, placing his hands on his cheeks.

"Thank you, Lord Captain Dionysus for having mercy on your people!" Hermes played along. Dionysus rolled his eyes.

"He truly is a great captain..." Travis pretended to wipe away a tear.

"Com'on girls, work with me here." Percy whined.

**but when he glared at them pointedly, they started hamming it up again, trembling and flopping around like fish.**

"Such great performances!" Hermes exclaimed, as the group laughed harder.

**The dolphin-men fell over themselves trying to get away from their captives.**

"Oh my gods!" Katie laughed. "I can't believe this is actually working!"

"You and me both." Percy admitted, blinking as he took in the dolphin-men's reactions.

**"Fakes!" Chrysaor roared.**

"I don't know, their fish-flopping sounds really convincing..." Leo pretended to muse. With all the yelling and moving around, Leo was surprised he was able to stay unconscious. He must've been really out cold.

**"Shut up, Percy Jackson. Your camp director is not here. He was recalled to Olympus. This is common knowledge."**

"He might not be here right now, but Mr. D is always with us right here." Connor said in mock seriousness, thumping a fist over his chest.

**"So you admit Dionysus is our director!" Percy said.**

**"He** **_was_ ** **," Chrysaor corrected. "Everyone knows that."**

**Percy gestured at the golden warrior like he'd just betrayed himself. "You see? We are doomed. If you don't believe me, let's check the ice chest!"**

Eager to see what Percy was looking for, everyone leaned forward. The demigods already snickering and loudly whispering guesses as to what it could be.

**Percy stormed over to the magical cooler. No one tried to stop him.**

"Not even Chrysaor? That's weird." Chris remarked.

"He probably thought Percy was wasting his time." Clarisse said.

**He knocked open the lid and rummaged through the ice. There had to be one. Please.**

"Whatever you're looking for is going to be in there, it's magical." Leo unhelpfully explained, attempting to make origami. _It better be with how much it cost._

**He was rewarded with a silver-and-red can of soda. He brandished it at the dolphin warriors as if spraying them with bug repellent.**

**"Behold!" Percy shouted. "The god's chosen beverage. Tremble before the horror of Diet Coke!"**

" _Pppffftt!"_ Travis burst out laughing, the others soon joining him.

" _Diet Coke!_ Now you're in for it!" Connor said in between his laughter. He was laughing so hard that he started coughing.

"That's what makes magical ice chests so special, they're perfect for any occasion, from barbecues to pirate-dolphin invasions." Leo proudly told Chris.

**The dolphin-men began to panic. They were on the edge of retreat. Percy could feel it.**

**"The god will take your ship," Percy warned. "He will finish your transformation into dolphins, or make you insane, or transform you into insane dolphins!**

" _Oh no! Anything but that!"_ Travis gasped in mock horror.

" _What?!_ I can handle being a _dolphin_ or _insane,_ but an _insane dolphin!_ That's too much!" Leo added in fake hysteria. He fanned his face with Post-It notes.

**Your only hope is to swim away now, quickly!"**

**"Ridiculous!" Chrysaor's voice turned shrill. He didn't seem sure where to level his sword—at Percy or his own crew.**

Percy smirked at the turn of events.

**"Save yourselves!" Percy warned. "It is too late for us!"**

The group listened on, still laughing and smiling broadly.

**Then he gasped and pointed to the spot where Frank was hiding. "Oh, no! Frank is turning into a crazy dolphin!"**

"First the girls, now Frank! Dionysus, you monster!" Apollo exclaimed in fake horror.

Said god gave him a sour look before turning back to his magazine.

**Nothing happened.**

The readers froze. Did something go wrong?

"Uh... Frank? That's your cue..." Connor stage-whispered.

 **"I** **_said_ ** **," Percy repeated, "Frank is turning into a crazy dolphin!"**

The readers were slowly frowning.

Expecting the worst, Percy tensed. _I knew something was going to go wrong, I knew it!_

**Frank stumbled out of nowhere, making a big show of grabbing his throat. "Oh, no," he said, like he was reading from a teleprompter. "I am turning into a crazy dolphin."**

The readers relaxed and burst out laughing.

"Bravo! Bravo!" Connor and Travis clapped.

"Encore! Encore!" Apollo clapped.

"Someone give him an Oscar!" Leo laughed.

Percy released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and smiled.

**He began to change, his nose elongating into a snout, his skin becoming sleek and gray. He fell to the deck as a dolphin, his tail thumping against the boards.**

"Those dolphins are going to _flip_ out when they see this," Leo grinned. His joke earned groans from the demigods.

**The pirate crew disbanded in terror, chattering and clicking as they dropped their weapons, forgot the captives, ignored Chrysaor's orders, and jumped overboard. In the confusion, Annabeth moved quickly to cut the bonds on Hazel, Piper, and Coach Hedge.**

The demigods cheered as Percy and Annabeth shared a smile.

"That was amazing," she told him.

"Thanks." Percy smiled. _I'm just glad everything turned out alright._

Now that he thought about it, this had to be the first plan he had that ever went perfectly.

**Within seconds, Chrysaor was alone and surrounded. Percy and his friends had no weapons except for Annabeth's knife and Hedge's hooves, but the murderous looks on their faces evidently convinced the golden warrior he was doomed.**

Poseidon grimaced. _Just leave Chrysaor and don't come back._

**..."This isn't over, Jackson," Chrysaor growled. "I will have my revenge—"**

**His words were cut short by Frank, who had changed form again. An eight-hundred-pound grizzly bear can definitely break up a conversation.**

The demigods snickered.

Poseidon tensed.

**He sideswiped Chrysaor and raked the golden mask off his helmet.**

Poseidon winced as if he were struck.

**Chrysaor screamed, instantly covering his face with his arms and tumbling into the water.**

The god of the sea relaxed slightly, relieved that his son fell in the water. He should be safe there.

 _Do not fight back. Just escape,_ he silently pleaded. _Percy whatever you do, don't go after him. Please._

**They ran to the rail. Chrysaor had disappeared. Percy thought about chasing him, but he didn't know these waters, and he didn't want to confront that guy alone again.**

Poseidon sighed in relief.

**"That was brilliant!" Annabeth kissed him, which made him feel a little better.**

Percy and Annabeth shared another smile.

**"It was desperate," Percy corrected. "And we need to get rid of this pirate trireme."**

**"Burn it?" Annabeth asked.**

Percy frowned. "I don't think so. Won't that be a waste?"

"Loot it?" Travis eagerly suggested, earning a glare from Katie.

**Percy looked at the Diet Coke in his hand. "No. I've got another idea."**

The Stolls pouted.

Seeing where he was going, Annabeth's face lit up.

"The tribute! Percy! You're a genius!" she said excitedly.

Percy blushed at her praise.

"I have my moments," he said with a genuine smile.

**It took them longer than Percy wanted. As they worked, he kept glancing at the sea, waiting for Chrysaor and his pirate dolphins to return, but they didn't.**

Poseidon was relieved to hear that. With a heavy heart, he hoped the two never would meet again.

**Leo got back on his feet, thanks to a little nectar. Piper tended to Jason's wounds, but he wasn't as badly hurt as he looked. Mostly he was just ashamed that he'd gotten overpowered again, which Percy could relate to.**

"They caught you off guard," Thalia muttered, but understood why Jason felt the way he did. Being taken down by dolphins was embarrassing to say the least.

**They returned all their own supplies to the proper places and tidied up from the invasion while Coach Hedge had a field day on the enemy ship, breaking everything he could find with his baseball bat.**

"Figures," Clarisse laughed.

**When he was done, Percy loaded the enemy's weapons back on the pirate ship. Their storeroom was full of treasure,**

The Stolls gasped enthusiastically.

"Are you sure you can't take _some_ of their treasure? Not even a piece?" Connor pleaded.

"No," Katie said flatly.

"We need every piece we can find as a tribute to Dionysus... Bacchus... Whatever." Percy said as the god of wine's form flickered. The god held his head and scowled at the teen.

**"I can sense about six million dollars' worth of gold aboard," Hazel said. "Plus diamonds, rubies—"**

" _Six million?!_ " Travis exclaimed. " _Diamonds and rubies!_ And it's all going to Mr. D?!"

"We need his help on this quest." Annabeth reminded.

"Is that enough for a tribute?" Lacy asked with a frown.

"If the god is in a good mood, they might accept it." Hermes said casually. "Six million dollars is chump change to us."

The Stolls' heads snapped in his direction.

"Wait, it is?!" Travis gawked.

"Dad, can I have a raise in my allowance?" Connor said with Puppy Dog Eyes.

" _Um, well..."_ Hermes trailed off, eyes widening at the situation he put himself in. Thankfully he didn't have to answer since Nyssa rolled her eyes and kept reading.

**...Finally Percy went aboard the pirate ship and opened the flood valves. He asked Leo to drill a few extra holes in the bottom of the hull with his power tools, and Leo was happy to oblige.**

"After what they put us through, they deserved to have their ship sink." Leo huffed, making a tiny paper hat.

**The crew of the Argo II assembled at the rail and cut the grappling lines. Piper brought out her new horn of plenty and, on Percy's direction, willed it to spew Diet Coke, which came out with the strength of a fire hose, dousing the enemy deck.**

"Nice touch!" Hermes chuckled.

"Now there's no way Dionysus won't accept this tribute!" Apollo said cheerfully.

**Percy thought it would take hours, but the ship sank remarkably fast, filling with Diet Coke and seawater.**

Katie frowned.

"Isn't that polluting?" she spoke up.

"Only if the god doesn't accept it." Demeter told her.

"And he will accept it, right Dionysus?" Hades asked, giving the god a meaningful glare. The two giants that are holding his son captive must be slain by Dionysus. If that is the only way they can make them pay for what they've done to Nico, then Dionysus _will_ do it.

Dionysus winced at the intensity of his uncle's glare. Avoiding eye contact, the god tried not to let his uneasiness show as he shrugged. "If I must."

Percy scowled. _'If I must', we're doing this to save_ _you._

**"Dionysus," Percy called, holding up Chrysaor's golden mask. "Or Bacchus**

Dionysus winced as his form flickered.

**—whatever. You made this victory possible, even if you weren't here. Your enemies trembled at your name...or your Diet Coke, or something. So, yeah, thank you."**

Percy resisted the urge to gag.

The demigods were listening to his thank-you speech with _'Are You Kidding Me?'_ written all over their faces.

"Is this really necess-" Travis began, only to be shouldered by Katie.

"Yes," she told him impatiently.

**The words were hard to get out, but Percy managed not to gag.**

Dionysus rolled his eyes. "Glad to know this came from the heart, Pierre."

"It's Percy," Poseidon corrected, his nephew waved his hand dismissively. 

**"We give this ship to you as tribute. We hope you like it."**

**"Six million in gold," Leo muttered. "He'd** **_better_ ** **like it."**

"It'll have to do," Dionysus said, flipping a page in his magazine.

**...Percy threw the golden mask aboard the vessel, which was now sinking even faster, brown fizzy liquid spewing out the trireme's oar slots and bubbling from the cargo hold, turning the sea frothy brown.**

**Percy summoned a wave, and the enemy ship was swamped. Leo steered the** **_Argo II_ ** **away as the pirate vessel disappeared underwater.**

**"Isn't that polluting?" Piper asked.**

"You would think so since the ship isn't going anywhere." Katie muttered.

**"I wouldn't worry," Jason told her. "If Bacchus likes it, the ship should vanish."**

The god of wine winced at the mention of his Roman name.

**Percy didn't know if that would happen, but he felt like he'd done all he could. He had no faith that Dionysus would hear them or care, much less help them in their battle against the twin giants, but he had to try.**

"He will." Hades said a matter-of-factly.

Dionysus sunk his head further behind his magazine.

 **As the** **_Argo II_ ** **headed east into the fog, Percy decided at least one good thing had come out of his sword fight with Chrysaor. He was feeling humble—even humble enough to pay tribute to the wine dude.**

Apollo and Hermes chuckled at the mention of the nickname.

Dionysus scowled, refusing to look away from his magazine's pages.

"I guess..." Percy reluctantly agreed. He wished he had learned to be humble some other way.

**After their bout with the pirates, they decided to fly the rest of the way to Rome. Jason insisted he was well enough to take sentry duty....**

Will frowned disapprovingly. "You shouldn't be pushing yourself, you just gained consciousness." He turned to Leo with a glower. "And you know you should be resting."

"I was fine," Leo insisted. "I was resting when I was-"

"Being unconscious does _not_ count!" Will snapped.

**They had a couple of hours before daybreak, so Jason suggested Percy try to get a few more hours of sleep.**

**"It's fine, man," Jason said. "Give somebody else a chance to save the ship, huh?"**

**Percy agreed, though once in his cabin, he had trouble falling asleep.**

**He stared at the bronze lantern swaying from the ceiling and thought about how easily Chrysaor had beaten him at swordplay. The golden warrior could've killed him without breaking a sweat. He'd only kept Percy alive because someone else wanted to pay for the privilege of killing him later.**

"I know, I know," Percy groaned. If he really was as 'rusty' as Future Percy said, he needed to do more training. _I_ _never_ _want to be put in this position._

 **Percy felt like an arrow had slipped through a chink in his armor—as if he still had the blessing of Achilles, and someone had found his weak spot. The older he got, the longer he survived as a half-blood, the more his friends looked up to him. They depended on him and relied on his powers. Even the Romans had raised him on a shield and made him praetor, and he'd only known them for a couple** **of weeks.**

 _No pressure or anything._ Percy thought, shoulders slumping. He suddenly felt like he was carrying the weight of the world.

 **But Percy didn't feel powerful. The more heroic stuff he did, the more he realized how limited he** **was. He felt like a fraud.** ** _I'm not as great as you think,_** **he wanted to warn his friends. His failures, like** **tonight, seemed to prove it.**

Percy avoided eye contact and bit his lip.

Annabeth squeezed his hand. "Hey, don't forget that you aren't doing this alone. You have a team and we'll help you through anything."

"Yeah you messed up, but that plan you made using the Diet Coke was awesome." Leo tried to comfort.

Annabeth grinned at her boyfriend. "Percy's always the one to come up with the creative ideas."

The son of Poseidon snorted. "More like the most insane." But he gave a small albeit forced smile nevertheless.

 **Maybe that's why he had started to fear suffocation. It wasn't so much** **drowning in the earth or the sea, but the feeling that he was sinking into too many expectations,** **literally getting in over his head.**

Annabeth blinked. "Huh. Maybe."

"Guess I can add 'Personal-Therapist' to my list of titles." Percy said, resting his head in his palm.

 **Wow...when he started having thoughts like that, he** **_knew_ ** **he'd been spending too much time with Annabeth.**

Annabeth smiled and rolled her eyes. "Glad to know I'm being a good influence."

**Athena had once told Percy his fatal flaw: he was supposedly too loyal to his friends.**

Annabeth snorted in disbelief. "What do you mean 'supposedly'? Seaweed Brain, you won't even let me walk to Tiber River by myself."

"And for a good reason," Percy stubbornly replied. "I don't think that's being 'too loyal', we're a team and I want to help you out in any way that I can."

Honestly, Percy thought out of all the fatal flaws he could have had, Loyalty was the best one he could've possibly got. He didn't have enough hubris to prevent himself from being humble (as seen when he thanked 'Captain' Dionysus), he didn't hold grudges and was willing to let Luke redeem himself, and he wasn't ambitious enough to become power-hungry. His loyalty might be a fatal flaw, but Percy argued it was his best attribute.

**He couldn't see the big picture. He would save a friend even if it meant destroying the world.**

"But it's never come to that." Percy pointed out, crossing his arms.

"But if you were given the choice, you would save your friend?" Athena pressed. "If you were given the choice between saving millions or saving someone close to you, you would pick your friend."

Percy frowned, eyebrows furrowed. "Well..." he hesitated, not wanting to admit it but the book already did. " _Yeah,_ but I've always found a way to do both. I've never had to choose between one or the other." He found a way when his mom was kidnapped, he found a way when Annabeth was held captive, loyalty wasn't as bad as people make it out to be. He just had to find a way to do both.

"That won't always be the case," Athena warned.

 **At the time, Percy had shrugged this off. How could loyalty be a bad thing? Besides, things** **worked out okay against the Titans. He'd saved his friends** **_and_ ** **beaten Kronos.**

"Exactly!" Percy pointed out.

 **Now, though, he started to wonder. He would gladly throw himself at any monster, god, or giant** **to keep his friends from being hurt. But what if he wasn't up to the task?**

"Then I'll have to train more," Percy said as if the answer were obvious.

"I don't think that's what you meant," Annabeth said gently.

 **What if someone** ** _else_** **had to** **do it?**

Percy faltered. The hesitation already being an answer in itself for the others.

"Then I'll help them," he said as casually as he could. He tried not to show everyone how much the idea of one of his friends' protecting him bothered him.

Judging from the skeptical expressions on everyone's faces, he wasn't fooling anyone.

Leo was shifting uncomfortably, biting his lip, eyes darting around the room. He was wringing his hands and refusing to meet anyone's eyes. _Well, this is awkward._

Apollo was anxiously humming again, earning frowns from Artemis and Hestia. Leo resisted the urge to groan. Why, _why_ , was he doing that? Was he _trying_ to look suspicious? Why couldn't he be like Hermes, who didn't even react to that line?

 _Out of all the people, of course it has to be Apollo who can't keep a secret._ Leo sighed, warily eyeing the god. He was nervous but not completely worried, after all, he swore on the River of Styx he wouldn't tell.

 **That was very hard for him to admit. He even had trouble with simple things like letting Jason** **take a turn at watch. He didn't want to rely on someone else to protect him, someone who could get** **hurt on his account.**

Apollo drummed his fingers, adding a beat to his song.

Artemis watched the finger-tapping as if trying to decipher Morse code. It wasn't his easy-going light _tap-tap-tapping_ that he would do when he was genuinely enjoying a song, it wasn't even his loud and obnoxious drum solos he would do when he wanted them to do a duet. This was done more subconsciously, playing the melody but skipping some of the key notes (something her perfectionist musician of a brother would _never_ do), he was bothered by something.

 _And it's been bothering him for a while..._ the goddess thought, thinking back to the last time he did this.

**Percy's mom had done that for him. She'd stayed in a bad relationship with a gross mortal guy because she thought it would save Percy from monsters.**

Percy and Poseidon scowled at the thought of Gabe Ugliano.

**Grover, his best friend, had protected Percy for almost a year before Percy even realized he was a demigod, and Grover had almost gotten killed by the Minotaur.**

"That was my job, I was prepared for situations like that." Grover tried to say comfortingly, feeling surprised. He hadn't realized that the fight with the Minotaur would still effect his best friend so deeply, especially after all the things they've been through.

"That doesn't make it better." Percy said shortly.

**Percy wasn't a kid anymore. He didn't want anybody he loved taking a risk for him. He had to be strong enough to be the protector himself. But now he was supposed to let Annabeth go off on her own to follow the Mark of Athena, knowing she might die. If it came to a choice—save Annabeth or let the quest succeed—could Percy really choose the quest?**

  "You have to," Annabeth insisted, now understanding why he wanted to walk her to the river so badly. It was a comfort to him just as much as it was to her. "The others need your help."

" _Yeah,_ I know," her boyfriend sighed heavily.

**Exhaustion finally overtook him. He fell asleep, and in his nightmare, the rumble of thunder became the laughter of the earth goddess Gaea.**

The readers stiffened.

Leo looked away from the ceiling and stared at the book in disbelief. _Another_ demigod dream he knew _nothing_ about?

 _This book is just_ _full_ _of surprises,_ he thought sarcastically, preparing for the worst.

**Percy dreamed he was standing on the front porch of the Big House at Camp Half-Blood. The sleeping face of Gaea appeared on the side of Half-Blood Hill—her massive features formed from the shadows on the grassy slopes. Her lips didn't move, but her voice echoed across the valley.**

**_So this is your home,_ ** **Gaea murmured.** **_Take a last look, Percy Jackson. You should have returned here. At least then you could have died with your comrades when the Romans invade. Now your blood will be spilled far from home, on the ancient stones, and I will rise._ **

Percy's face fell, but only momentarily as he glared at the book.

The readers faces slowly began to pale.

Leo narrowed his eyes, his hands clenching into fists.

**The ground shook. At the top of Half-Blood Hill, Thalia's pine tree burst into flames.**

Thalia winced.

" **Disruption rolled across the valley—** g- **grass turning to sand,** f- **forest crumbling to** d-d- **dust**..."Nyssa's voice faltered, she could practically hear her heart hammering in her chest. She took a moment to collect herself before she picked up were she left off. **The river and the canoe lake** **dried up. The cabins and the Big House burned to ashes. When the tremor stopped, Camp Half-Blood looked like a wasteland after an atomic blast. The only thing left was the porch where Percy** **stood.**

The demigods were shivering as they listened on.

The gods sat stiffly in their thrones, at a loss on what to say. What could they possibly tell their children that would comfort them after hearing _this?_

The room, usually filled with some kind of noise, was completely silent.

Leo's fists were starting to shake,  he threw them in his pockets.

**Next to him, the dust swirled and solidified into the figure of a woman. Her eyes were closed, as if she were sleepwalking...**

A few breaths hitched.

**"When I reclaim the earth," Gaea said, "I will leave this spot barren forever, to remind me of your kind and how utterly powerless they were to stop me.**

Some of the demigods winced.

**It doesn't matter when you fall, my sweet little pawn—to Phorcys or Chrysaor or my dear twins. You will fall, and I will be there to devour you. Your only choice now...will you fall alone? Come to me willingly; bring the girl. Perhaps I will spare this place you love.**

Percy was too speechless to respond. He wished that this was just a nightmare, that there was no way someone, _anyone_ , was this capable of destroying his home-away-from-home, but he knew what Gaea was capable of and he knew she would be able to do this without breaking a sweat.

 _I can't let this happen,_ he thought desperately. He didn't want to be the 'storm' responsible for possibly ending the world, but he would be if it meant saving his friends back at Camp. _But how can I do that?_

**Otherwise..."**

Everyone tensed.

**Gaea opened her eyes. They swirled in green and black, as deep as the crust of the earth. Gaea saw everything. Her patience was infinite. She was slow to wake, but once she arose, her power was unstoppable.**

The gods audibly gasped, rearing back in their thrones.

Leo's jacket was starting to smolder. He found his body shaking but he couldn't tell if it was more out of fear or anger.

Threatening the death of his family and the destruction of his home, intimidating his friends, and trying to convince one of them to sacrifice their life for the possibility of mercy, that wasn't even scratching the surface on all the things Dirt Face has done, but it was more than enough to convince Leo that he was doing the right thing by going through with his plan. He could feel guilty all he wanted and the others might never forgive him, but he was going to do this.

 _Unstoppable, huh? We'll see how 'unstoppable' you'll be when your essence is spread across seven different continents._ the son of Hephaestus seethed. Grumbling under his breath, he pinched out the small flames sprouting on his jacket.

**Percy's skin tingled. His hands went numb. He looked down and realized he was crumbling to dust, like all the monsters he'd ever defeated.**

Poseidon's face paled further.

 _It's just a dream, it's just a dream._ he reminded himself, tightening his grip on his trident.

Annabeth hugged Percy's arm as if he could disappear at any moment.

Nico silently gasped in horror.

Percy listened on, hardly believing what he was hearing.

**"Enjoy Tartarus, my little pawn," Gaea purred.**

Leo's eyes widened, his body went rigid.

Thinking this was just part of the nightmare, the readers didn't think to much about the entity's words, but still shuddered.

**A metallic CLANG-CLANG-CLANG jolted Percy out of his dream. His eyes shot open. He realized he'd just heard the landing gear being lowered.**

Nearly everyone let out heavy sighs of relief, glad the nightmare was finally over.

" _Gods,"_ Will said, breaking the silence. With a shaky hand, he brushed his hair back.

"Is the chapter over yet?" Connor asked tiredly.

Feeling exhausted, Nyssa rubbed an eye with her free hand as she checked the remaining pages.

"Almost," she said, earning groans from some of the others. They didn't complain further however as she continued reading.

**There was a knock on his door, and Jason poked his head in. The bruises on his face had faded. His blue eyes glittered with excitement.**

The readers perked up.

**"Hey, man," he said. "We're descending over Rome. You really should see this."**

"At least there's _some_ good news," Will said, feeling partially relieved.

Nico couldn't help but wonder if there was still time left to save him.

**The sky was brilliant blue, as if the stormy weather had never happened. The sun rose over the distant hills, so everything below them shone and sparkled like the entire city of Rome had just come out of the car wash.**

**Percy had seen big cities before. He was from New York, after all. But the sheer vastness of Rome grabbed him by the throat and made it hard to breathe. The city seemed to have no regard for the limits of geography. It spread through hills and valleys, jumped over the Tiber with dozens of bridges, and just kept sprawling to the horizon....Everywhere he looked, there were wide piazzas and traffic-clogged streets. Parks cut across the city with a crazy collection of palm trees, pines, junipers, and olive trees, as if Rome couldn't decide what part of the world it belonged to—or maybe it just believed all the world still belonged to** **_Rome_ ** **.**

Annabeth took in the description word per word in awe, it all sounded so amazing. She just wished they were all there under better circumstances.

Athena scowled but made no comment.

 **It was as if the city knew about Percy's dream of Gaea. It knew that the earth goddess intended on razing all human civilization, and this city, which had stood for thousands of years, was saying back to her: You wanna dissolve this city,** **_Dirt Face? Give it a shot._ **

**In other words, it was the Coach Hedge of mortal cities—only taller.**

That earned a few chuckles from the group.

**"We're setting down in that park," Leo announced, pointing to a wide green space dotted with palm trees. "Let's hope the Mist makes us look like a large pigeon or something."**

"Considering how no ones freaking out or looking up, they probably see a plane or a helicopter." Hermes said with a shrug.

**Percy wished Jason's sister Thalia were here. She'd always had a way of bending the Mist to make people see what she wanted. Percy had never been very good at that...**

The huntress smirked.

"I keep telling you, it's all in the wrist." Thalia joked, flicking her wrist to emphasize the point.

"And I keep telling you, it's impossible." Percy said in mock exasperation, he gave her a strained smile.

**To the north, about a mile away through the folds of the city, the top of the Colosseum rose above the rooftops, looking just like it did in travel photos.**

Annabeth couldn't help but gasp excitedly. Percy glanced at her with a fond look in his eyes.

**That's when Percy's legs started shaking. He was actually here.**

"Took us a while, but we finally made it." Annabeth commented.

**He'd thought his trip to Alaska had been pretty exotic, but now he was in the heart of the old Roman Empire, enemy territory for a Greek demigod. In a way, this place had shaped his life as much as New York.**

**Jason pointed to the base of the archers' wall, where steps led down into some kind of tunnel.**

**"I think I know where we are," he said. "That's the Tomb of the Scipios."**

Annabeth's eyes lit up. "Oh wow!"

**Percy frowned. "Scipio...Reyna's pegasus?"**

Annabeth tilted her head in confusion. "...What? No, they were a noble family. They built one of the most notable monuments in Rome." she sighed wistfully. "It's such an underrated tourist attraction."

**Jason nodded. "I've studied maps of Rome before. I've always wanted to come here, but..."**

**Nobody bothered finishing that sentence. Looking at his friends' faces, Percy could tell they were just as much in awe as he was. They'd made it. They'd landed in Rome— _the_ Rome.**

**"Plans?" Hazel asked. "Nico has until sunset—at best.**

Nico grimaced.

Hades stiffened and Will winced.

"Right," Annabeth said, expression becoming more serious. No time for talking about tourist attractions.

**And this entire city is supposedly getting destroyed today."**

The readers grimaced.

**[Percy]... "You're right. Annabeth...did you zero in on that spot from your bronze map?"**

**Her gray eyes turned extra thunderstorm dark, which Percy could interpret just fine:** **_Remember what I said, buddy. Keep that dream to yourself._ **

Crossing his arms, Leo tapped his foot, fighting back a flare of annoyance.

 _You're not much better,_ he reminded himself, tapping his fingers on his arm.

**"Yes," she said carefully. "It's on the Tiber River. I think I can find it, but I should—"**

**"Take me along," Percy finished. "Yeah, you're right."**

Percy and Annabeth blinked in surprise.

The demigods started snickering.

"Some things never change," Lacy giggled.

**Annabeth glared daggers at him. "That's not—"**

**"Safe," he supplied. "One demigod walking through Rome alone. I'll go with you as far as the Tiber. We can use that letter of introduction, hopefully meet the river god Tiberinus. Maybe he can give you some help or advice. Then you can go on alone from there."**

**They had a silent staring contest, but Percy didn't back down. When he and Annabeth started dating, his mother had drummed it into his head:** **_It's good manners to walk your date to the door._ ** **If that was true, it** **_had_ ** **to be good manners to walk her to the start of her epic solo death quest.**

With a smile, Annabeth gave a small giggle.

"I guess so," she said to Percy. His eyes were distant as if he were thinking of a million things at once, but he managed to give Annabeth a small grin back.

Seeing that look in his eyes, Annabeth's smile wavered but she couldn't blame him. Hearing his latest nightmare was enough to unsettle everyone in the room, even Leo.

**"Fine," Annabeth muttered. "Hazel, now that we're in Rome, do you think you can pinpoint Nico's location?"**

**Hazel blinked, as if coming out of a trance from watching the Percy/Annabeth Show. "Um...hopefully, if I get close enough. I'll have to walk around the city. Frank, would you come with me?"**

**Frank beamed. "Absolutely."**

" _Aw!"_ Aphrodite couldn't help but coo.

**"And, uh...Leo," Hazel added. "It might be a good idea if you came along too. The fish-centaurs said we'd need your help with something mechanical."**

**"Yeah," Leo said, "no problem."**

**Frank's smile turned into something more like Chrysaor's mask.**

Considering how he acted while they were looking for Nico, Leo couldn't blame him.

The son of Hephaestus rocked his chair back.

**Percy was no genius when it came to relationships, but even he could feel the tension among those three.**

Leo bit his lip. _Here we go... Does everyone always have something to say about this?_

He suppressed the urge to sigh.

**Ever since they'd gotten knocked into the Atlantic, they hadn't acted quite the same. It wasn't just the two guys competing for Hazel. It was like the three of them were locked together, acting out some kind of murder mystery, but they hadn't yet discovered which of them was the victim.**

"No one's a victim," Leo groaned. "It was all just one huge misunderstanding that we should've talked about."

**Piper drew her knife and set it on the rail. "Jason and I can watch the ship for now. I'll see what Katoptris can show me. But, Hazel, if you guys get a fix on Nico's location, don't go in there by yourselves. Come back and get us. It'll take all of us to fight the giants."**

Annabeth nodded her head in approval.

 _Easier said then done,_ Leo thought dryly.

**She didn't say the obvious: even all of them together wouldn't be enough, unless they had a god on their side. Percy decided not to bring that up.**

The god of wine cringed at the reminder.

 _You just had to bring it up..._ Dionysus thought, trying to ignore the warning glare from Hades.

**"Good idea," Percy said. "How about we plan to meet back here at...what?"**

**"Three this afternoon?" Jason suggested. "That's probably the latest we could rendezvous and still hope to fight the giants and save Nico. If something happens to change the plan, try to send an Iris- message."**

**The others nodded in agreement, but Percy noticed several of them glancing at Annabeth. Another thing no one wanted to say: Annabeth would be on a different schedule. She might be back at three, or much later, or never.**

The demigods winced.

Percy grimaced, Annabeth gave his hand what she hoped was a comforting squeeze.

**But she would be on her own, searching for the Athena Parthenos.**

**Coach Hedge grunted. "That'll give me time to eat the coconuts—I mean dig the coconuts out of our hull. Percy, Annabeth...I don't like you two going off on your own. Just remember: behave. If I hear about any funny business, I will ground you until the Styx freezes over."**

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

It was strained, but some of the demigods laughed.

Percy couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. "Alright Coach, no funny business."

**The idea of getting grounded when they were about to risk their lives was so ridiculous, Percy couldn't help smiling.**

**"We'll be back soon," he promised. He looked around at his friends, trying not to feel like this was the last time they'd ever be together.**

The few smiles that were on people's faces wavered into tired frowns.

**"Good luck, everyone."**

**Leo lowered the gangplank, and Percy and Annabeth were first off the ship.**

"Finished," Nyssa sighed with relief, others soon followed suit.

"These chapters are becoming harder and harder to read..." Katie remarked.

"That was a lot," Mitchell said, shoulders slumping.

Everyone sat in silence, still reflecting on what they learned.

Percy couldn't get his nightmare out of his head no matter what he tried to do and now that they weren't reading, he couldn't think of anything _but_ that nightmare. He thought about Camp Half-Blood becoming a barren wasteland, Gaea wiping out mankind, and her and the giants taking over the world.

 _And I thought Kronos was bad,_ he thought, resting his head in his hands. _Gaea is pure evil._

With a headache beginning, he wondered how he was supposed to defeat her. He had to be the storm the prophecy was talking about, there was no way he was going to let Jason or Leo fight her alone. This was his battle, he can find a way to save his friends _and_ the world, just like how he had before.

 _I just need to figure out how I'm going to do it._ he thought, feeling exhausted.

Seeing everyone drag their feet on starting the next chapter, Leo sat up straight.

"Hey, is someone going to keep reading?" Leo tried, hoping he wouldn't have to read again.

For a moment, no one said anything, Leo was getting nervous until Grover sighed.

"I can read," the satyr volunteered, taking the book.

" **Percy XXXII** ," he began.


	32. Percy XXXII

" **Percy XXXII** ," Grover read.

Still feeling drained, the readers had to strain focus on the new chapter.

_We should've waited until after the last one before having a break._ Percy thought with a sigh. But then again, the reason why they had that break in the first place was because of his _other_ demigod dream.

_Three demigod dreams with the last two being back-to-back nightmares..._ Percy inwardly groaned. If this wasn't used for saving the future, he would've tossed the book off Mount. Olympus by now.

**UNDER DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES, wandering through Rome with Annabeth would have been pretty awesome. They held hands as they navigated the winding streets... The day warmed up quickly. Once they got away from the car exhaust on the main roads, the air smelled of baking bread and freshly cut flowers.**

**They aimed for the Colosseum because that was an easy landmark, but getting there proved harder than Percy anticipated... They found beautiful fountains and huge monuments by accident.**

Despite the reason behind their walk, the Aphrodite girls swooned at the description.

_How romantic!  A semi-date!_ the goddess of love thought with a happy sigh, a small smile on her face.

_How wonderful,_ Nico thought dryly. _Annabeth gets to enjoy a scenic walk with Percy before her quest, meanwhile I'm stuck staring at the walls of a jar as I slowly suffocate._

Crossing his arms, Nico tried to push back his growing jealousy. As much as he hated it, Annabeth deserved a little bit of happiness before she goes to fight Arachne.

_I shouldn't even be jealous, it's not normal._ he angrily told himself. Nico gritted his teeth and played with his skull ring.

_But if it's not normal... Why did no one react when Apollo called Narcissus 'hot'?_ a voice in his head said. Nico felt the floating sensation of hope again, before he stifled it.

_What can they say? Apollo's a god. Anyone who disagreed with him would have been smote._

Nico hunched in on himself, trying not to think about the subject any further.

Percy listened to the story with a bitter taste in his mouth. This was going to be the last time him and Annabeth were going to be together before she goes on her quest. He had known this was going to happen for a while, and Annabeth kept reminding him that she had to do this alone, but it still came as a shock when it started to sink in that this was happening. After this thinly veiled attempt in normalcy, Annabeth was going to go on a mission that she might not come back from.

Stomach twisting itself in knots, Percy swallowed and tried to calm himself down. A part of him desperately wanted to try talking Annabeth out of it again. _This is happening in the future! We have time to come up with a better plan!_ But even as he thought it, he knew it was hopeless. Once Annabeth had set her mind that she was going, there was no turning back. The best he could do is hope that Annabeth comes back in one piece.

Seeing her boyfriend's face pale, Annabeth worriedly placed a hand on his arm. "Are you ok?"

Percy shakily nodded his head. "Yeah," he croaked. "Fine."

He hoped he looked better than he sounded.

Knowing better, Annabeth's frown deepened but she didn't press him further. 

Annabeth rubbed his arm in what she hoped was a comforting manner.

**Annabeth commented on the architecture,** Grover smiled as he read this line.

"Of course," Connor inserted with a grin.

"Even on a quest like this, Annabeth talks about buildings, and foundations, and ceilings," Travis teases.

The others snickered, trying not to think what was going to inevitably happen at the end of the chapter.

Annabeth rolled her eyes at his comment, but gave Percy a small grin.

Percy managed to return it with a small smile of his own, but it didn't reach his eyes. They were a murky sea-green, like the ocean on a gloomy night.

Annabeth's grin wavered, she turned her attention back to the book.

**but Percy kept his eyes open for other things. Once he spotted a glowing purple ghost—a Lar—glaring at them from the window of an apartment building. Another time he saw a white-robed woman—maybe a nymph or a goddess—holding a wicked- looking knife, slipping between ruined columns in a public park.**

"Wonder who that was..." Hermes mused.

"Whoever she was, I don't think she's friendly," Will remarked with a frown.

"I don't think any of them are friendly," Nico agreed, forcing his attention on the reading. "They probably sense that they're Greek."

**Nothing attacked them, but Percy felt like they were being watched...**

The readers stiffened.

"Great," Annabeth said grimly, squeezing her necklace.

"It could just be watching," Katie tried to soothe.

"Yeah, but we don't know why they're watching or when that'd change." she replied, still troubled. _Or if they're working for Gaea..._

For all she knew, the goddess could be spying on them right now, laughing as Annabeth walked closer and closer to her doom.

With a shiver, the daughter of Athena pushed the thought aside.

**...They made their way west, stopping every once in a while to ask directions to the river. Percy hadn't considered that—duh—people in Italy spoke Italian, while he did not.**

Nico snorted a laugh as the other demigods snickered.

"It's not like I ever had time to learn," Percy said in an attempt to sound upbeat.

"I'll teach you a couple phrases," the son of Hades promised. Percy gave him a strained smile, Nico tried to ignore how his heart skipped a beat. The son of Hades purposely looked away from Percy's eyes. "But you should be fine. This part of Italy is used to American tourists, there should be someone who can speak English."

**As it turned out, though, that wasn't much of a problem. The few times someone approached them on the street and asked a question, Percy just looked at them in confusion, and they switched to English.**

Nico nodded his head. "See?"

"That's a relief," Percy said shortly.

**Next discovery: the Italians used euros, and Percy didn't have any.**

The demigods laughed.

"Man, Percy, you were really underprepared for this trip." Connor remarked, grinning.

Annabeth frowned in bewilderment. "I get how not knowing Italian would be an issue, but why is money a problem? All we're doing is walking to the Tiber River."

**He regretted this as soon as he found a tourist shop that sold sodas.**

Annabeth snorted and playfully rolled her eyes.

"Of course," she inserted, mimicking the tone Connor had used before.

"It's a long walk," Percy said in mock offense. He suddenly frowned. "How far is this river anyway?"

Hermes scratched his head. "Can't say for sure with just the description and no street names."

**By then it was almost noon, getting really hot, and Percy was starting to wish he had a trireme filled with Diet Coke.**

"Where's Piper's cornucopia when you need it?" Travis joked.

**Annabeth solved the problem. She dug around in her backpack, brought out Daedalus's laptop, and typed in a few commands. A plastic card ejected from a slot in the side.**

**Annabeth waved it triumphantly. "International credit card. For emergencies."** '

Percy and some of the other demigods blinked in surprise.

_How does that work?_ the son of Poseidon wondered.

The Stolls and Aphrodite girls listened in excitement.

"How many of those cards can the computer make?" Travis eagerly asked.

"And is there a limit to how much things we can buy?" someone from Cabin Ten spoke up, earning a glare from the daughter of Athena.

" _Only_ for emergencies," Annabeth clarified. "Not for shopping sprees. All the unfinished blueprints, notes, and completed projects are at least fifty years ahead of its time. Daedalus trusted me with this laptop, I can't abuse its wealth of knowledge." Her pride was evident in her voice.

"You're going to use your credit card to buy Percy a soda, I hardly call that an emergency." one Aphrodite girl pointed out, causing Annabeth's ears to turn pink. "I can think of better ways to use it."

"Yeah, like a pool for the Hermes Cabin, an air conditioner, our own Ferrari," Travis listed off.

"Things that are harder to get with a five-finger discount." Connor explained, wiggling his fingers.

"Okay," Annabeth tried, letting out a sigh. "There's a difference between splurging and being resourceful. Buying something like a Ferrari, is anything but resourceful."

"Nah, it'd make the perfect get-away car." Travis said dismissively. "Fast and fashionable. What better way to leave the scene of the crime than in style?"

The Aphrodite girl who spoke earlier beamed at him. "That'd be pretty cool."

"Just like the movies!" another Aphrodite child spoke up.

"Wouldn't that..." Annabeth trailed off before shaking her head. "You're impossible."

**Percy stared at her in amazement. "How did you—? No. Never mind. I don't want to know. Just keep being awesome."**

Annabeth smiled as Aphrodite cooed.

_"Aaaww,_ " Lacy said, smiling from ear to ear. "That's cute!"

**The sodas helped, but they were still hot and tired by the time they arrived at the Tiber River...**

**The Tiber itself was wide, lazy, and caramel-colored. A few tall cypress trees hung over the banks. The nearest bridge looked fairly new, made from iron girders, but right next to it stood a crumbling line of stone arches that stopped halfway across the river—ruins that might've been left over from the days of the Caesars.**

Annabeth took in the description, visualizing in her head the dazzling view.

After the quest was over, she really needed to go back there and explore Italy. No monsters, no Great Prophecies, a complete get-away.

_Maybe Percy and the others would go._ she thought, thinking back to Percy's earlier suggestion. That would be amazing.

The other demigods, meanwhile, were listening for any clues on where the river god might be.

"Okay, you're here, but how are you going to find him?" Travis frowned. "Is Tiberinus going to be walking around somewhere? Do you have to flip a coin in the river to summon him?"

"No nothing like that," Aphrodite said, amused. "He and his wife, Rhea, are around somewhere. They're probably going on another romantic walk, getting lost in each other's eyes." the goddess giggled. "They're so cute together!"

The demigods looked up at her in surprise.

"Rhea?" Percy repeated in disbelief, thinking back to what he knew about Greek mythology. "As in the mom of the six elder Olympians?"

"A common mistake," Aphrodite waved off. "She is Rhea Silvia, a descendant of mine, and the mother of Romulus and Remus. Romulus being the Founder of Rome," she added proudly.

The goddess couldn't help but feel excited towards the possibility of reading about her descendant. Ever since coming to the United States, she hadn't heard much about Rhea or her husband besides them helping children of Athena recover the _Athena Parthenos_ , it would be nice to hear how her happy ending with Tiberinus is going.

**[Annabeth]..."I recognize that from the map. But what do we do now?"**

Hearing the _we_ , Percy felt a bit better knowing that they still had some time left together, but his eyebrows furrowed, indecisive on what to do next.

"Well, Aphrodite said that he and Rhea might be walking around somewhere," he reflected. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to walk around the river."

Annabeth nodded along in agreement. "Right, they can't be too far away."

**Percy was glad she had said** **_we_ ** **. He didn't want to leave her yet. In fact, he wasn't sure he could make himself do it when the time came.**

Annabeth suppressed the urge to sigh.

**Gaea's words came back to him:** **_Will you fall alone?_ **

Percy tensed, scowling. _I'm not falling at all, Dirt Queen._

**He stared at the river, wondering how they could make contact with the god Tiberinus. He didn't really want to jump in. The Tiber didn't look much cleaner than the East River back home, where he'd had too many encounters with grouchy river spirits.**

"I think I know what you mean," Lacy said, grimacing as she thought about Achelous.

"They can be moody," Poseidon admitted after consideration.

"As if you're the one to talk," Zeus grumbled, rolling his eyes.

**He gestured to a nearby café with tables overlooking the water.**

Thinking Percy was going to suggest to search for Tiberinus there, Annabeth nodded her head approvingly. "Good idea, he and Rhea might be there on a date."

**"It's about lunchtime. How about we try your credit card again?"**

Will scowled disapprovingly. He understood why Percy would want to spend as much time with Annabeth as possible, he really did, but did he _have_ to do it when they're on a time limit?

Nico clenched his hands into fists, gnashing his teeth together. The walk, he could force himself to stomach, but a romantic walk with a lunch date too? Did his dilemma mean that little to him that Percy wanted to have _lunch_ while Nico was slowly losing his _life_. He might not even have time to begin with.

Annabeth blinked in disbelief before turning to Percy who looked equally surprised by his statement.

"You want to eat _now_?" she said, raising her eyebrows. "We still have things to do," she glanced at the son of Hades (wincing at the glare he was giving them) before saying in a lower voice. "Nico might not have as much time as we think..."

Percy winced at that. Feeling guilty, he purposely avoided meeting Nico's eyes as he muttered to her: "Yeah, I'm really pushing it here. I don't know why I thought it was a good idea."

He said that but he wasn't being completely honest with his answer. He knew exactly why Future Percy suggested what he did. He wanted to stall as much as he could and have one last normal moment with Annabeth before she had to go. It was an idea Percy would've agreed with, if it wasn't at the expense of his friends, especially Nico. He was _dying_ for gods' sakes and his friends were counting on Percy to help rescue him, but instead of doing that, he wanted to go out to eat with Annabeth.

This was supposed to be a go-in-go-out mission, helping Annabeth in any way he could before she would inevitably leave, but now that he's doing it, Future Percy was wasting everyone's time.

Percy grimaced, feeling ashamed. He thought back to Athena talking about how Personal Loyalty was his fatal flaw, and now he was starting to understand that it wouldn't just cause his own downfall, but the downfall of the very people he cared about without him even noticing. Sure having a quick lunch with Annabeth sounded like the perfect thing to do before seeing her off, but not when every second counted towards saving Nico's life. He should've known better, what was he thinking?

"I'm sorry, Nico. I promise we'll find you before it's too late." Percy swore, meeting Nico's eyes.

Nico took a long look at him before sighing and turning his head.

"I hope so," he responded, twisting his ring.

**Even though it was noon, the place was empty.**

"So much for Rhea and Tiberinus being here..." Percy sighed.

"Where can they be?" Annabeth muttered, glaring at the book. _And how long will it take to find them?_

She couldn't help but feel annoyed that her Future-self went along with this. They had things to do. They hadn't been this irresponsible since the Lotus Casino, they were better than this! Future Annabeth should've talked some sense into Percy, not walked in to see what was on the menu! She gets why her future-self would want to hold on to this moment as long as possible, but they didn't have time!

Annabeth drummed her fingers on her knee.

**They picked a table outside by the river, and a waiter hurried over.**

_If Leo and the others find where Nico is, they can always Iris-Message him._ Annabeth tried to reason with herself as she thought about how long the food preparation would take. _Worst case scenario we run out of the café without paying._

She struggled not to think about the even worse situation. _Nico dying. Rome falling. Gaea and the giants taking over the world with Camp Half-Blood being a barr-_

She forced herself to focus on the reading.

**He looked a bit surprised to see them—especially when they said they wanted lunch.**

"You and me both." Percy said flatly, crossing his arms.

**"American?" he asked, with a pained smile.**

**"Yes," Annabeth said.**

**"And I'd love a pizza," Percy said.**

This earned a few snickers from the readers.

Will didn't look impressed.

"Pizza _again_? If you're going to eat here, can you order something healthier than that? A Caesar Salad? Anything?" the son of Apollo complained.

"Of course not, I can't miss the chance to eat real pizza in Italy!" Percy argued, forcing a grin. This earned an eye roll from Will and more soft laughter from the others.

**The waiter looked like he was trying to swallow a euro coin. "Of course you would,** **_signor_ ** **. And let me guess: a Coca-Cola? With ice?"**

"Sounds about right," Percy nodded his head.

Will grumbled to himself.

**...Annabeth ordered a panini and some fizzy water. After the waiter left, she smiled at Percy...**

**They held hands across the table. Percy was content just to look at Annabeth in the sunlight.**

The girls from the Aphrodite Cabin giggled.

Aphrodite rested her head in her hand and happily sighed.

**It always made her hair so bright and warm. Her eyes took on the colors of the sky and the cobblestones, alternately brown or blue.**

"This is so adorable!" Aphrodite smiled. Her children were giggling, eagerly whispering and pushing each other around.

Nico rested a hand on his forehead, eye-twitching as Grover kept reading.

_Is the chapter over yet?_ he thought.

**He wondered if he should tell Annabeth his dream about Gaea destroying Camp Half-Blood.**

Everyone grimaced at the reminder.

"You might as well do it now that we're waiting for the food." Annabeth sighed, wondering how long does it take to make a panini.

**He decided against it.**

Annabeth's eyes widened in disbelief and hurt, even the other demigods were stunned by Percy's decision.

" _What?"_ she exclaimed. " _Why?"_

**She didn't need anything else to worry about—not with what she was facing.**

With a scowl, she snapped her head in Percy's direction.

"Just because I have a lot on my plate right now, doesn't mean you shouldn't tell me." Annabeth told him. "Gaea _spoke_ to you and threatened the safety of the camp!" the demigods winced at that. "I should know more about who we're up against."

"Just like how we should've known about the _last_ demigod dream," Leo muttered to himself, playing with his jacket buttons. As much as he wanted to point out the irony in her statement, he didn't feel like arguing. This chapter was already awkward enough for him to listen to with it leading up to Annabeth and Percy falling in Tartarus.

**But it made him wonder...what would have happened if they hadn't scared off Chrysaor's pirates?**

Some of the readers winced .

"Can we think about something else?" Leo fidgeted.

"I know, can we just be happy that it didn't happen?" Lacy whimpered.

**Percy and Annabeth would've been put in chains and taken to Gaea's minions. Their blood would have been spilled on ancient stones.**

Poseidon and Athena winced.

Annabeth tensed and bit her lip.

Percy suppressed a shudder. He wished he knew where his future-self was going with this.

**Percy guessed that meant they would've been taken to Greece for some big horrible sacrifice.**

"That's why they wanted us alive," Annabeth unhappily reminded, crossing her arms.

**But Annabeth and he had been in plenty of bad situations together. They could've figured out an escape plan, saved the day...and Annabeth wouldn't be facing this solo quest in Rome.**

Percy couldn't believe he was honestly thinking this. This couldn't be right, it sounded like for a moment he actually _wished_ Chrysaor had captured them, but that can't be true. His friends would have been sold into a life of slavery under Circe (Chrysaor had mentioned being a trainee as the other option, but let's face it, it was just enslavement with a fancy title), fed to Cyclops, or _worse._ Annabeth was still going to try to follow the Mark of Athena no matter what the outcome from this was. He couldn't be actually _wanting_ this to happen only to prolong Annabeth's quest, could he? No. No. His loyalty wasn't that bad.

Annabeth frowned. _We can, but how would we be able to find our friends?_

**_It doesn't matter when you fall,_ ** **Gaea had said.**

**Percy knew it was a horrible wish, but he almost regretted that they hadn't been captured at sea. At least Annabeth and he would've been together.**

Percy openly gawked at the book as the demigods looked at him in shock.

"And that is why Personal Loyalty is a fatal flaw." Athena announced, sounding like a professor concluding a lesson.

That seemed to snap Percy out of his mortified daze because he turned to look at the goddess with wide eyes before hastily assuring his friends.

"I don't actually want this to happen! I don't know why I would say something like so... _so... horrible!_ I don't regret not being captured, I swear! I-"

"Dude, it's fine." Grover interrupted as gently as he could. "You saved them, remember?"

"We know you're not that type of person." Annabeth reached out and squeezed his hand.

After getting over their initial shock, the other demigods voiced their agreements.

Percy relaxed a bit at their words, giving everyone a strained smile.

"Thanks guys,"

**"You shouldn't feel ashamed," Annabeth said. "You're thinking about Chrysaor, aren't you? Swords can't solve every problem. You saved us in the end."**

_Yeah, and I'll do it again._ he reminded himself.

**In spite of himself, Percy smiled. "How do you do that? You always know what I'm thinking."**

**"I know you," she said.**

Aphrodite giggled. "You make it sound so obvious!"

"Well, we've known each other for four years," Annabeth shrugged. "We should know a lot about each other at this point."

**_And you like me anyway?_ ** **Percy wanted to ask, but he held it back.**

The demigods laughed.

"Yeah, I do." Annabeth stated. She said it so a-matter-of-factly that Percy felt his face blush.

Aphrodite squealed at that, her daughters following her lead.

Nico huffed.

**"Percy," she said, "you can't carry the weight of this whole quest. It's impossible. That's why there** **are seven of us.**

Not looking up from his tinkering, Leo nodded along.

Percy's expression became more serious.

**And you'll have to let me search for the Athena Parthenos on my own."**

Percy's heart clenched. He bit his lip and fidgeted.

"I can do this," Annabeth said firmly, squeezing his hand again.

"I know you can, it's just..." he trailed off, staring down at his shoes.

"Me going alone?" she guessed, earning a reluctant nod. Annabeth sighed. It was hard on everyone, herself included, but Percy was taking this the hardest.

**"I missed you," he confessed. "For months. A huge chunk of our lives was taken away. If I lost you again—"**

Annabeth's expression softened.

"You won't," she swore to her boyfriend, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"We don't know that for sure," Percy countered suddenly looking as exhausted as he felt. "And that's what worries me. You're going to go on this quest, _alone_ , and if anything goes wrong, I won't know about it until it's too late."

Annabeth's face fell in understanding. She felt something similar when she found out Percy was at Camp Jupiter without any memories. She wanted to provide him some form of comfort, something to ease the pain, but she knew he would never be fully satisfied until he knew if she survived and found her mother's statue.

Suddenly, an idea came to mind.

_Leo!_ She wanted to smack herself for not thinking of it sooner. Of course! He would know what was going to happen and be able to put everyone at ease.

She eagerly turned to the son of Hephaestus. "Le-"

Annabeth hesitated when she took in Leo's posture.

His body was tense and hunched over, tinkering with something he probably found in his tool belt or pockets. His eyes were trained on the object in his hands, but he would occasionally glance up, eyes shifting around. When they landed on Annabeth, he quickly looked away and hunched in on himself further.

Annabeth's frown deepened.

He was hiding something, that much was obvious, but what? Annabeth's eyebrows furrowed.

Now that she thought of it, he was being oddly quiet during this chapter, was something going to happen with Tiberinus and Rhea, or on her quest?

Annabeth grimaced, worse case scenarios flashing in her head. As much as she wanted to confront Leo on his strange behavior, she hesitated, unsure if now was the right time. Everyone was already on edge with her quest, especially Percy. If he told her in front of everyone that the slightest thing went wrong on this quest, they would never let her out of their sight.

For now, crossing her arms, Annabeth decided to wait for the right moment to ask.

**Lunch arrived. The waiter looked much calmer. Having accepted the fact that they were clueless** **Americans, he had apparently decided to forgive them and treat them politely.**

"Gee thanks," Percy said flatly, with his free hand, he brushed his hair back.

**"It is a beautiful view," he said, nodding toward the river. "Enjoy, please."**

**Once he left, they ate in silence. The pizza was a bland, doughy square with not a lot of cheese.**

_Great, first Annabeth, now bland pizza._ Percy thought miserably. _I guess this is why only the tourists order them..._

**..."You'll have to trust me," Annabeth said. Percy almost thought she was talking to her sandwich, because she didn't meet his eyes. "You've got to believe I'll come back."**

"I'll try..." Percy sighed.

Annabeth gave him a strained smile.

"That's all I ask." she told him, every now and then she would glance back at Leo, gauging his reaction.

Nothing yet.

**He swallowed another bite. "I believe in you. That's not the problem. But come back from** **_where?_ ** **"**

The readers grimaced.

_Gods, why does this book have so much foreshadowing?_ Leo shuddered, face paling. He squeezed his pipe cleaners tighter in his hand. He couldn't help but glance at Annabeth and Percy before quickly looking away, when he saw Annabeth staring at him again. Why was she looking at him like that? He wasn't doing anything! He hastily continued working on his pipe cleaners.

_There._ Annabeth frowned. Something that Percy said had caused a different reaction. But the only thing that stood out was-

_'But come back from where?'_  

Annabeth's eyes slowly widened in horror.

There's only one place she could possibly go.

She gasped to herself, face visibly paling and her hands going clammy. Annabeth quickly let go of Percy's hand, in favor of tightly clasping hers together. 

_No, that's not possible._ She thought with a shudder. Annabeth forced herself to calm down before she could panic further. _You're jumping to conclusions. If you ever fell in Tartarus, you'd be good as dead, and there's no way in Hades Leo would have been able to keep that a secret. He's terrible at secrets._

Annabeth took a deep breath and let it out, relaxing her body, only now noticing Percy's look of concern.

_That's right,_ she told herself, choosing to ignore the feeling of unease. _I couldn't have fallen in Tartarus, I'm too careful. If anything, I'd be sending, Arachne down there._ She took another deep breath, trying to slow her racing heart. _I have to be wrong, Leo must be nervous about something else. Maybe the 'where' is the cavern that the statue is in, or maybe I found an exit that leads me to the other side of the world._ She ignored the sinking feeling of dread, but couldn't stop the shudder even if she tried. _I'm jumping to conclusions. I'm wrong._

She suddenly didn't want to know why Leo was reacting the way he was, much less ask. Annabeth knew she was wrong, she had to be and she didn't see the point in having the son of Hephaestus confirm that.

She slumped in her chair, expression somber as she thought about her quest.

**The sound of a Vespa interrupted them.**

Everyone (except Annabeth) didn't think much of the noise, they were just waiting for the daughter of Athena's response.

**Percy looked along the riverfront and did a double take. The motor scooter was an old-fashioned model: big and baby blue. The driver was a guy in a silky gray suit. Behind him sat a younger woman with a headscarf, her hands around the man's waist. They weaved between café tables and puttered to a stop next to Percy and Annabeth.**

The demigods frowned in confusion.

Hestia and Aphrodite perked up a bit.

_This sounds... oddly familiar..._ Hestia frowned, giving her hearth a thoughtful prob.

**"Why, hello," the man said. His voice was deep, almost croaky, like a movie actor's. His hair was short and greased back from his craggy face. He was handsome in a 1950s dad-on-television way. Even his clothes seemed old-fashioned...Percy had trouble guessing his age—maybe thirty-something, though the man's fashion and manner seemed grandfatherish.**

Now the demigods were exchanging bewildered expressions.

Connor's eyebrows furrowed.

"Who-" he began, only to be cut off by an excited gasp from the hearth in the corner.

" _Gregory Peck!"_ Hestia exclaimed. " _That's_ who it is!"

She looked around the room, eager to see some recognition from the teens.

Katie tilted her head. 

"I think I've heard of that name before..." she offered, earning a hopeful smile from the goddess. Now not wanting to disappoint her, Katie racked her brain for the name of the movie. "We watched it in class... _To Kill a Mockingbird_? I think?"

"Right!" Hestia said happily, much to Katie's relief. "That's one of his most notable films. He also did _Roman Holiday-_ "

Her face suddenly lit up like the hearth she was tending. "Is that why this person has taking Peck's appearance? To reference the movie? That is so creative! The woman must be Audrey Hepburn!"

_Too bad we probably didn't get it..._ Percy silently frowned.

**The woman slid off the bike. "We've had the most lovely morning," she said breathlessly.**

**She looked about twenty-one, also dressed in an old-fashioned style. Her ankle-length marigold skirt and white blouse were pinched together with a large leather belt, giving her the narrowest waist Percy had ever seen. When she removed her scarf, her short wavy black hair bounced into perfect shape. She had dark playful eyes and a brilliant smile...**

Hestia looked ecstatic. 

"Just like the movie," she muttered to herself.

Having an idea who these two are, Aphrodite was smiling from ear to ear.

_Princess Anne and Joe Bradley, such unique forms to chose._ the goddess of love thought. She was amused that her descendant, a daughter of a king, choose the form of an actress who played a princess.

**Annabeth's sandwich fell out of her hands. "Oh, gods. How—how... ?"**

**She seemed so stunned that Percy figured he ought to know these two.**

Confused, Percy turned to Annabeth.

"You know these two?" he asked his girlfriend.

Annabeth seemed to not hear him. It was then he noticed that Annabeth was holding her necklace and staring at the wall across from them with a faraway expression on her face.

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Annabeth?"

No response.

He shook her arm. "Wise Girl,"

She startled out of her thought process. "Yes?"

"Are you okay?" he asked, taking in her features. She was still a little pale from before, but the color was coming back to her face. She crossed her arms, looking more closed off than she had at the beginning of the chapter.

Annabeth hesitated before sighing. " _Fine,_ just... thinking about... the quest, that's all." 

Percy's face fell.

"Oh," he said understandingly. He comfortingly slung his arm over her shoulders and pulled Annabeth close. He knew it wasn't much, but he hoped it helped.

Annabeth silently leaned her head on his shoulder.

**"You guys _do_ look familiar," he decided...he pointed at the guy and took a guess. "Are you that guy on _Mad Men_?"**

Hestia frowned, eyebrows furrowing. "What kind of movie is that?"

"It's a television show about advertising firms," Hermes explained, he chuckled as he saw the flash of disinterest on her face. "You should give it a try, you might like it, the show is based off of advertising in the 60's."

"Maybe," she humored. Hestia wasn't much of a television person (it was more time-consuming than movies), so she doubted she'd actually take time to watch it, but she wasn't going to blatantly turn down Hermes' suggestion.

**"Percy!" Annabeth looked horrified.**

**"What?" he protested. "I don't watch a lot of TV."**

**"That's Gregory Peck!" Annabeth's eyes were wide, and her mouth kept falling open. "And... _oh gods!_ Audrey Hepburn! I _know_ this movie. _Roman Holiday_. But that was from the 1950s. How—?"**

"How do you know that?" Connor asked the daughter of Athena. He worriedly frowned as he took in Annabeth's appearance. He wasn't entirely surprised by how she look, this was the start of her quest.

Annabeth tiredly shrugged. "Watched _Roman Holiday_ with my dad. It's his favorite movie."

She normally would've smiled at how much her dad loved sappy romantic comedies, but right now she couldn't muster a grin.

"He has excellent taste," Hestia said with a decisive nod, she silently noted how exhausted Annabeth looked.

**"Oh, my dear!" The woman twirled like an air spirit and sat down at their table. "I'm afraid you've mistaken me for someone else! My name is Rhea Silvia. I was the mother to Romulus and Remus, _thousands_ of years ago. But you're so kind to think I look as young as the 1950s. And this is my husband..."**

**"Tiberinus," said Gregory Peck, thrusting out his hand to Percy in a manly way. "God of the River Tiber."**

**Percy shook his hand. The guy smelled of aftershave. Of course, if Percy were the Tiber River, he'd probably want to mask the smell with cologne too.**

The demigods laughed.

"If it's anything like the East River in New York, you're better off using the whole bottle!" Travis joked.

"That's the only time it's allowed." Katie agreed.

**"Uh, hi," Percy said. "Do you two always look like American movie stars?"**

**"Do we?" Tiberinus frowned and studied his clothes. "I'm not sure, actually.**

Hestia and Aphrodite were a bit put out that their forms were not intentional.

**The migration of Western civilization goes both ways, you know. Rome affected the world, but the world also affects Rome. There does seem to be a lot of American influence lately. I've rather lost track over the centuries."**

**"Okay," Percy said. "But...you're here to help?"**

**"My naiads told me you two were here." Tiberinus cast his dark eyes toward Annabeth.**

**"You have the map, my dear? And your letter of introduction?"**

The demigods stiffened in anticipation.

The gods looked remorseful with Annabeth's plight except Hera and Athena.

The only thing Hera regretted was that a member of the Seven was going to die on this quest, Athena however was beaming at her daughter with expectancy that Annabeth fidgeted under.

Annnabeth felt sick, under the stares and swarming thoughts. She tried to ignore the way her stomach was twisting itself in knots, sat up straight, and squared her shoulders.

She tried to put a brave face on as Grover picked up where he left off.

**"Uh..." Annabeth handed him the letter and the disk of bronze.**

Annabeth faltered a bit.

_Great choice of words, Annabeth. I can see why Athena would choose you for this quest._ she thought, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. She resumed her former position.

**She was staring at the river god so intently Percy started to feel jealous.**

Aphrodite and her children couldn't help but giggle.

Annabeth couldn't help but turn to him incredulously.

"Of _who? Grandpa?"_ she said in disbelief. The others laughed at Percy's embarrassment as the boy sheepishly smiled.

Annabeth sighed and playfully rolled her eyes, bumping her shoulder against his. 

"Com'on Seaweed Brain, you should know by now he's not my type." For the first time in a while, Annabeth genuinely smiled and even though he could die from embarrassment, Percy smiled back. 

**"S-so..." she stammered, "you've helped other children of Athena with this quest?"**

**"Oh, my dear!" The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, put her hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "Tiberinus is _ever_ so helpful. He saved my children Romulus and Remus, you know, and brought them to the wolf goddess Lupa. Later, when that old king Numen tried to kill me, Tiberinus took pity on me and made me his wife. I've been ruling the river kingdom at his side ever since. He's just dreamy!"**

Aphrodite nodded her head in approval. He was a good match for her Rhea. **  
**

**"Thank you, my dear," Tiberinus said with a wry smile. "And, yes, Annabeth Chase, I've helped many of your siblings...to at least begin their journey safely. A shame all of them died painfully later on.**

The demigods collectively winced.

Athena looked like she had been slapped. She opened her mouth to say something in rebuttal, but couldn't find the words.

**Well, your documents seem in order. We should get going. The Mark of Athena awaits!"  
**

Percy felt his face pale. He grabbed Annabeth's hand and gave it a squeeze.

Said girl winced at the tight vice-grip, but didn't comment. Even if she wanted to, Annabeth wasn't sure what she should tell him at the moment.

The demigods grimaced, all wishing there was something more they could do to help her.

**[Percy]... "Tiberinus, let me go with her. Just a** **little farther."**

Annabeth bit back a sigh, unsurprised by Percy's actions.

**Rhea Silvia laughed sweetly. "But you can't, silly boy. You must return to your ship and gather your other friends. Confront the giants!** **The way will appear in your friend Piper's knife. Annabeth has a different path. She must walk alone."**

**"Indeed," Tiberinus said. "Annabeth must face the guardian of the shrine by herself. It is the only way. And Percy Jackson, you have less time than you realized to rescue your friend in the jar. You must hurry."**

If possible, the mood in the room became worse after hearing this.

Percy's face fell. _Great, just what we were afraid of. I just had to stop for 'pizza'._

**Percy's pizza felt like a cement lump in his stomach. "But—"**

**"It's all right, Percy." Annabeth squeezed his hand. "I need to do this."**

**He started to protest. Her expression stopped him. She was terrified but doing her best to hide it—for his sake. If he tried to argue, he would only make things harder for her. Or worse, he might convince her to stay. Then she would have to live with the knowledge that she'd backed down from her biggest challenge...assuming that they survived at all, with Rome about to get leveled and Gaea** **about to rise and destroy the world.**

" _Okay, okay,_ we get it," Connor said hurriedly, fidgeting anxiously.

**The Athena statue held the key to defeating the giants. Percy** **didn't know why or how, but Annabeth was the only one who could find it.**

Annabeth solemnly nodded her head.

**"You're right," he said, forcing out the words. "Be safe."**

_"Please,"_ Percy begged.

Annabeth's traitorous mind thought about Tartarus again, and she suppressed a shiver.

"I'll try." she said.

**Rhea Silvia giggled like it was a ridiculous comment. "Safe? Not at all! But necessary.**

"Did you really have to say that?" Percy complained.

**Come,** **Annabeth, my dear. We will show you where your path starts. After that, you're on your own."**

**Annabeth kissed Percy. She hesitated, like she was wondering what else to say. Then she** **shouldered her backpack and climbed on the back of the scooter.**

**Percy hated it. He would've preferred to fight any monster in the world. He would've preferred a** **rematch with Chrysaor. But he forced himself to stay in his chair and watch as Annabeth motored off** **through the streets of Rome with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn.**

"Finished." Grover said, earning sighs of relief.

"Thank the gods," Mitchell said, resting his head in his hands.

" _The Lost Hero_ was so much easier to get through than this," Chris muttered.

For a moment, still processing the information they had, The readers were quiet, occasionally talking amongst themselves on what they just read. They prolonged going back to reading as long as they could before Thalia volunteered to read.

"Let's just get this over with..." she said as a few of the others groaned in protest.

" **Annabeth XXXIII** ," Thalia read.

Everyone tensed, unsure what to expect next.


	33. Annabeth XXXIII

" **Annabeth XXXIII** ," Thalia read, feeling a sense of dread.

Tension filled the air. The demigods sat rigid in their seats, anxious to know what was going to happen next, even Leo was paying closer attention than he ever had before. After Annabeth fell in Tartarus, she hadn't gone into detail on what had happened on her quest, which was understandable, but Leo couldn't help but wonder what how it went.

Percy felt a little comforted in the fact that they were now in Annabeth's point-of-view. He might not be with her in the story, but listening to her adventure was the next best thing.

The gods' interests were piqued at the information these chapters would provide. Despite knowing bits and pieces on what may lie ahead, the gods had limited knowledge on what trials Annabeth would have to go through. These four chapters alone would be the first coherent documentation on the Trails of the  _Athena Parthenos_  they have ever seen.

Athena felt a bubbling mix of anxiousness and anticipation, but she didn't let it show. She sat upright in her throne, face expressionless.

**ANNABETH FIGURED IT COULD'VE BEEN WORSE. If she had to go on a horrifying solo quest, at least she'd gotten to have lunch with Percy on the banks of the Tiber first.**

Nico gritted his teeth but otherwise didn't comment.

Annabeth and Percy guiltily cringed.

**Now she got to take a scooter ride with Gregory Peck.**

"Your dad's going to be _so_  jealous," Leo tried to joke. Annabeth's mouth twitched upwards a bit. Travis forced a laugh.

"Just like Percy." he added sounding as cheerful as he could, the others gave strained smiles.

"Shut up," Percy made a big show of rolling his eyes.

**She only knew about that old movie because of her dad...**

**She thought the plot was silly—a princess escapes her minders and falls in love with an American journalist in Rome—**

"It is," Hestia admitted with a small smile, "but it's the cast that sells it."

"And the music, and the dialogue, and the ending," Aphrodite sighed happily. A thought suddenly occurred to her, Aphrodite beamed and excitedly turned to Ares. "We should watch it together!"

Ares, resting his head in his hand, let out a long exaggerated sigh.

" _Again?"_  he said dryly.

"Where?" Hephaestus spoke up, a glint in his eye.

Aphrodite ignored her husband and pushed Ares's arm. "It's my turn to pick!"

"But it's _boring,_ "

"This is why I hate Movie Nights, you always complain!" she complained, throwing her hands up in the air. "I never do that to you, not even when we watch _Gory Death Death Violence Death_!"

Ares frowned in confusion. "We've never seen a movie called that."

"But that's basically the plots," she argued, crossing her arms. "Seriously darling, your action movies barely have stories and the romances they remember to add in are shams. If two characters are going to get together, I need more reasons than 'because they're hot' or drama to spice things up! You can't do that when everyone's blowing each others' brains out!"

" _Here we go..._ " he groaned.

Everyone else (except Hephaestus who took joy in watching the two fight) ignored the couple and Thalia continued reading.

**but she suspected her dad liked it because it reminded him of his own romance with the goddess Athena: another impossible pairing that couldn't end happily.**

Athena suppressed a sigh.

"I can see that," Hestia mused, thinking about the scene when the couple part ways. "You can say that all relationships between gods and mortals are like the _Roman Holiday._ "

**Her dad was nothing like Gregory Peck. Athena certainly wasn't anything like Audrey Hepburn. But Annabeth knew that people saw what they wanted to see. They didn't need the Mist to warp their perceptions.**

"That's true," Hades muttered to himself.

**As the baby-blue scooter zipped through the streets of Rome, the goddess Rhea Silvia gave Annabeth a running commentary on how the city had changed over the centuries.**

" _Fun."_  Clarisse said flatly, resting her head in her hand. The others had similar opinions.

Annabeth would've normally found this interesting if she wasn't so anxious about the quest. She bounced her leg, wondering how long was this ride going to be.

 **"The Sublician Bridge was over there," she said, pointing to a bend in the Tiber. "You know, where Horatius and his two friends defended the city from an invading army? Now,** **_there_ ** **was a brave Roman!"**

Ares winced and his form flickered, Aphrodite stopped in the middle of her point to comfortingly rub his shoulder.

The demigods exchanged confused glances, some of them stared blankly at the book.

Leo wrapped a pipe-cleaner around his finger.

**"And look, dear," Tiberinus added, "that's the place where Romulus and Remus washed ashore."**

A few demigods perked up at this, even Annabeth was momentarily distracted.

She leaned forward, curious to hear where the twins had washed up.

 **He seemed to be talking about a spot on the riverside where some ducks were making a nest out of torn-up plastic bags and candy wrappers.**  Thalia frowned.

The teens' shoulders slumped in disappointment.

"Oh." Annabeth said, she didn't know what she was expecting, maybe a statue? Some sort of plaque on the spot the twins were found? This was...

"Pretty underwhelming..." Katie admitted.

**"Ah, yes," Rhea Silvia sighed happily. "You were so kind to flood yourself and wash my babies ashore for the wolves to find."**

If the demigods hadn't known what type of wolves the goddess was talking about, they would've thought she was insane.

"Does she realize how weird that sounds?" Connor wondered.

"I doubt it, dozens of Roman demigods get taken in by Lupa and her pack," Nico said. "It's part of their culture."

**"It was nothing," Tiberinus said.**

"It meant _everything_  to her," Aphrodite said sweetly with a smile.

 **Annabeth felt light-headed. The river god was talking about something that had happened**   **thousands of years ago, when this area was nothing but marshes and maybe some shacks. Tiberinus saved two babies, one of whom went on to found the world's greatest empire.** ** _It was nothing._**

"Underestimate of the century," Annabeth said, stomach twisting itself in knots.  _When are we going to get there?_

She fidgeted in her chair, squeezing her hands together.

A part of her wanted to just sit on the scooter and drive around Rome with the couple forever, but another part of her couldn't take waiting anymore. She was starting her quest and yet, she felt as though she hadn't made a fraction of progress.

**Rhea Silvia pointed out a large modern apartment building. "That used to be a temple to Venus. Then it was a church. Then a palace. Then an apartment building. It burned down three times. Now it's an apartment building again.**

" _Geez,_  why do you know so much about one building?" Chris said in disbelief. "I can barely remember what I ate for breakfast."

"That's what happens when you're an immortal with too much free time," Demeter sniffed. "Instead of watching the rise and fall of apartments, they should've had a farm. Now _that_  would've been productive."

**And that spot right there—"**

Some of the demigods groaned.

"We get it, we get it, everything's different." Clarisse said impatiently.

**"Please," Annabeth said. "You're making me dizzy."**

**Rhea Silvia laughed. "I'm sorry, dear. Layers upon layers of history here, but it's nothing compared to Greece. Athens was old when Rome was a collection of mud huts. You'll see, if you survive."**

Annabeth grimaced.

Aphrodite, Percy, and the others winced.

"You  _really_  should've worded that better," the goddess of love muttered.

**..."Here we are," Tiberinus announced.**

The readers tensed.

Annabeth's breath hitched, her heart started racing.

**He pulled over in front of a large marble building, the façade covered in city grime but still beautiful. Ornate carvings of Roman gods decorated the roofline. The massive entrance was barred with iron gates, heavily padlocked.**

The demigods listened in anticipation, imagining how intimidating yet regal the building looked.

**"I'm going in there?" Annabeth wished she'd brought Leo, or at least borrowed some wire cutters from his tool belt.**

Frowning, Leo pulled out a pair of wire cutters from his toolbelt.

"Yeah, no, if they're anything like I'm thinking, those gates are way too strong to be cut by these." he said, opening and closing the medium-sized tool. "Maybe a high-speed steel saw...?"

"Or an Oxy-Acetylene torch," Jake suggested. "But since you don't have either, your best bet is to ask Rhea and Tiberinus for a way in."

"Or climb the fence," Connor shrugged.

 **[Rhea]... "No, my dear. Not** **_in_ ** **it.** **_Under_ ** **it."**

The three demigods blinked.

"Oh." Jake said.

"Well, that takes care of that." Leo said, putting his wire cutters away. He searched for something else to use.

Annabeth's frown deepened. She knew she had to go underground to retrieve the statue, that much was obvious when they had read about Arachne's cavern, but now that her Future-self was here, she couldn't help but feel apprehensive about going underground. Going down there meant that she would be in a vulnerable position if Gaea ever chose to lend Arachne a helping hand. With her possible meddling and whatever else was waiting for her, for a brief moment, Annabeth couldn't help but wonder how was she going to go through this. She wasn't like the others who all had their own unique powers to help them, all she had was a laptop and a dagger. The only thing she owned that would have made a huge help was her Yankees Cap, and that had long since lost its magic and was probably sitting in her room on the ship collecting dust.

Annabeth's face fell. She really was on her own with this.

 **"Rome is chaotic aboveground," Tiberinus said, "but that's nothing compared to** **_below_ ** **ground.**

 _"Great."_  Annabeth said dryly. "How exciting..."

**You must descend into the buried city, Annabeth Chase. Find the altar of the foreign god.**

The demigods frowned, Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"A foreign god?" she repeated.

"Yes, it was common for the Romans to adopt gods from other religions. That was how they were able to find war gods that best suited their tastes," Aphrodite reminded. She tilted her head as she thought over Tiberinus's words. "If this god had an altar below ground, it sounds like he had one of those secret cults that were popular in the legions."

"Wonderful," Annabeth said flatly. She just hoped that the altar was abandoned. "Do you have a guess on who this could be?"

The goddess scrunched up her nose. "Well, I  _hope_ it's not Mithras. I swear he and his followers are insufferable, but he was popular. His followers had secret societies all over Rome with passwords and hand-shakes." Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "Honestly, it was an all-boys club. But there were other secret societies too, like Isis, Sabazios, and Cybele."

"So everybody who was everybody was part of a secret cult." Leo observed.

"There was just something personal about secret societies that public worship tended to lack," Aphrodite shrugged. "At least, that's what I'm guessing."

**The failures of your predecessors will guide you. After that...I do not know."**

Annabeth's shoulders slumped. _That's it?_

She sighed. As much as she wanted more information, this was better than nothing.  _At least Aphrodite gave me something to work with. She wasn't sure about who the god was, but this alter had to have belonged to a secret society._

Annabeth played with her necklace, wondering what kind of mistakes her siblings could have made when approaching the alter. Maybe the room it was in was booby-trapped?

**[Annabeth]... "My siblings...none of them made it all the way to the shrine, did they."**

Athena grimaced, thinking of all her children.

 _But it's different this time,_  the goddess thought. Annabeth will avenge them and her by defeating Arachne and returning her statue.

**Tiberinus shook his head. "But you know what prize awaits, if you can liberate it."**

"First I have to find the altar of a foreign god and learn from my siblings' past mistakes." Annabeth muttered.

**"It could bring peace to the children of Greece and Rome," Rhea Silvia said. "It could change the course of the coming war."**

**"If I live," Annabeth said.**

Percy winced.

"I'm going to live," Annabeth said, more firmly than she felt.

**Tiberinus nodded sadly. "Because you also understand the guardian you must face?"**

"Hard to forget," Annabeth muttered suppressing a shiver.

**...Rhea Silvia looked at her husband. "She is brave. Perhaps she is stronger than the others."**

"She is." Athena made it a point to say.

**"I hope so," said the river god. "Good-bye, Annabeth Chase. And good luck."**

"Thanks," Annabeth said. _I'm going to need it._

**Rhea Silvia beamed. "We have such a lovely afternoon planned! Off to shop!"**

"Of course," Artemis said, unsurprised. She was a descendant of Aphrodite after all.

 **Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn sped off on their baby-blue motorbike. Then Annabeth**  
**turned and descended the steps alone.**

The readers tensed.

Percy nervously fidgeted, barely able to sit still.

Annabeth took a deep breath and let out a shaky sigh.

**She'd been underground plenty of times.**

"Too many, if you ask me." Grover grimaced. Like most satyrs, he hated going underground.

**But halfway down the steps, she realized just how long it had been since she'd adventured by herself. She froze.**

**Gods...she hadn't done something like this since she was a kid. After running away from home, she'd spent a few weeks surviving on her own, living in alleyways and hiding from monsters**

Athena and some of the other gods winced.

**until Thalia and Luke took her under their wings.**

Annabeth and Thalia exchanged sad smiles.

**Then, once she'd arrived at Camp Half-Blood, she'd lived there until she was twelve. After that, all her quests had been with Percy or her other friends.**

**The last time she had felt this scared and alone, she'd been seven years old.**

Having a feeling where this was going, Annabeth and Thalia grimaced. Grover's face began to pale slightly.

 **She remembered the day Thalia, Luke, and she had wandered into a Cyclops' lair in Brooklyn. Thalia and Luke had gotten captured,**  Thalia's grip on the book tightened. ****

"And Grover," Annabeth mentioned with a slight frown. She couldn't help but find it weird that her point-of-view didn't include him.

"We were hanging over a pot," the daughter of Zeus recalled, wincing as she remembered the bubbling murky water that had been steaming below her.

 **and Annabeth had had to cut them free. She still remembered shivering in a dark**   **corner of that dilapidated mansion, listening to the Cyclops mimicking her friends' voices,**

 _And my dad's._  Annabeth thought, but didn't dare add. She felt a shiver run down her spine. _Gods, I don't even know how he knew what my dad sounded like... That couldn't have been a coincidence._

 **trying to**   **trick her into coming out into the open.**

"I had nightmares for days," Grover said with a shudder.

"That's just like what happened with us..." Leo said, eyes wide in horror. He turned to Annabeth. "How were you able to fight them off?

"I did the only thing I could do," she said tiredly, crossing her arms. "I stabbed him in the foot,"

Leo blinked. " _Wait_ , _wha-"_

"It didn't kill him obviously," she continued, too caught up in the past to notice his reaction. "but it was enough of a distraction to cut my friends free and let them finish the job."

"It was insane." Thalia stated, earning a nod from Grover.

"I can imagine," Leo said, still in disbelief. 

 **What if** **_this_ ** **is a trick, too? she wondered. What if those other children of Athena died because Tiberinus and Rhea Silvia led them into a trap?**

"No, Rhea wouldn't do that." Aphrodite defended as the demigods tensed.

**Would Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn do something like that?**

Hestia's head snapped towards the book.

" _Never,_ " she sounded aghast that Annabeth even suggested it.

" _Okay, okay,_  they wouldn't do that." the daughter of Athena conceded.

 **She forced herself to keep going. She had no choice. If the** **_Athena Parthenos_ ** **was really down here, it could decide the fate of the war. More importantly, it could help her mom. Athena** **_needed_ ** **her.**

Athena nodded her head in approval.

"I believe in you Annabeth. You will not fail." she told her.

Annabeth solemnly nodded her head. "Right." She had to believe that if she ever wanted to find that statue and defeat Arachne.

**At the bottom of the steps she reached an old wooden door with an iron pull ring. Above the ring was a metal plate with a keyhole.**

Annabeth groaned in annoyance.

**...as soon as she touched the pull ring, a fiery shape burned in the middle of the door: the silhouette of Athena's owl. Smoke plumed from the keyhole. The door swung inward.**

"Well that's not creepy at all," Travis said with a nervous laugh.

"Totally convenient and not at all freaky." Connor agreed with a strained grin.

"Saves me from picking the lock..." Annabeth muttered with a frown. She was never that good at lockpicking despite Luke's best efforts to teach her.

The thought of the son of Hermes made her shoulders slump. She still couldn't believe it had only been a couple of days since he had passed away. It seemed so far away, yet so soon all at once.

Annabeth couldn't help but wonder how he'd react to this: The gods going quiet again, the world in danger, and the demigods having to fix everything.

He'd probably be telling her that he was right. That the gods would never change.

 _Maybe they will after reading this._  she thought. Aphrodite did speak with her children during the break. It was hardly a real conversation with everyone talking at once, but she had never done that before. She was unsure of how much, but Annabeth knew they were coming around.

**Annabeth looked up one last time. At the top of the stairwell, the sky was a square of brilliant blue. Mortals would be enjoying the warm afternoon...Regular Romans would be going about their daily business, probably not considering the thousands of years of history under their feet, and definitely unaware of the spirits, gods, and monsters that still dwelt here, or the fact that their city might be destroyed today unless a certain group of demigods succeeded in stopping the giants.**

"This always gets me," Chris said. "We're here either saving the world or trying not to get killed-"

"Sometimes both," Leo helpfully added, stacking pink erasers on top of each other.

"-And mortals are just continue on their regular day, not knowing what's going on or what _could_  happen if we fail." the son of Hermes finished.

"It's so surreal." Katie agreed.

"That's how the Mist works, it keeps mortals unaware of our world," Hera reminded. "It keeps them safe. A normal human wouldn't be able to stay sane knowing they live in a world full of monsters and gods."

"I know that," Chris sighed, thinking back to Tristan McLean's reaction. "But it still would be nice to have more people know what we're going through... When I'm running down the street screaming my head off, it's not because I'm scared of squirrels."

The other teens muttered in agreement. Their parents frowned, never considering this before.

**Annabeth stepped through the doorway.**

**She found herself in a basement that was an architectural cyborg. Ancient brick walls were crisscrossed with modern electrical cables and plumbing...**

**The front half of the basement was stacked with crates. Out of curiosity, Annabeth opened a few.**   **Some were packed with multicolored spools of string—like for kites or arts and crafts projects.**

Percy frowned in confusion. "Why would those be there?"

"Arachne likes weaving, right? Maybe she's into arts and crafts." Travis suggested.

"Or," Annabeth cut in, giving him a strange look. "The basement could've been used for something else before it became a tunnel for a monster's lair. Like storage for a tourist shop?"

 **Other**   **crates were full of cheap plastic gladiator swords...**

"Definitely a shop," Annabeth nodded.

**In the back of the basement, the floor had been excavated, revealing another set of steps—these of white stone—leading still deeper underground.**

Grover shuddered.

**Annabeth crept to the edge. Even with the glow cast by her dagger, it was too dark to see below. She rested her hand on the wall and found a light switch.**

**She flipped it. Glaring white fluorescent bulbs illuminated the stairs.**

"I'm surprised it worked," Clarisse commented.

"I know, you'd think they'd turn off the electricity or something." Chris said off-handedly.

**Below, she saw a mosaic floor decorated with deer and fauns—maybe a room from an Ancient Roman villa, just stashed away under this modern basement along with the crates of string and plastic swords.**

**She climbed down. The room was about twenty feet square...The only exit was a hole dug in one corner of the floor where the mosaic had been pulled up. Annabeth crouched next to the opening. It dropped straight down into a larger cavern, but Annabeth couldn't see the bottom...There was no way down.**

"That's going to be a long jump." Connor said, not really meaning it.

"She's not jumping!" Percy and Will loudly protested at the same time. The two briefly exchanged sheepish grins.

"No I'm not." Annabeth agreed, thinking of ways to reach the bottom safely. As far as she could tell, there was no rope or nearby ladder. "Maybe I can make a ladder with the string and swords...?" Even as she said it, Annabeth thought her plan sounded ridiculous.

Percy frowned. "Will that be strong enough to hold your weight? It's just kite string and cheap plastic toys."

He had a point... She never tried making a ladder before, especially one out of string.

"I don't have a lot of options." Annabeth responded, racking her brain for more ideas despite herself.

**...As if in reply, something glowed in the darkness.**

Everyone perked up.

 **The Mark of Athena blazed to life at the bottom of the cavern, revealing glistening brickwork along a subterranean canal forty feet below. The fiery owl seemed to be taunting her:** **_Well, this is the way, kid. So you'd better figure something out._ **

Annabeth scowled in annoyance.

"I'm coming, I'm coming..." she muttered.

**Annabeth considered her options. Too dangerous to jump. No ladders or ropes...**

**Frustration crawled through her like an army of termites. She had spent her life watching other demigods gain amazing powers. Percy could control water. If he were here, he could raise the water level and simply float down.**

Percy begrudgingly agreed. For what felt like the millionth time, he wished he was there with his girlfriend.

**Hazel, from what she had said, could find her way underground with flawless accuracy and even create or change the course of tunnels. She could easily make a new path. Leo would pull just the right tools from his belt and build something to do the job.**

Leo wasn't sure _what_  he could make with his tool belt. He'd probably try making a sword ladder like Annabeth had suggested.

 **Frank could turn**   **into a bird. Jason could simply control the wind and float down. Even Piper with her**   **charmspeak... she could have convinced Tiberinus and Rhea Silvia to be a little more helpful.**

"That one's a bit iffy," Aphrodite said, moving her manicured hand from side to side.

"I don't think that'd be worth the risk," Mitchell agreed with a frown.

**What did Annabeth have?**

"You're super smart," Percy supplied. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been able to make it this far."

"True," Annabeth said with a teasing smirk, covering her nervousness. Her siblings had been smart too, and look how they turned out.

She suppressed a shudder.

**A bronze dagger that did nothing special, and a cursed silver coin. She had her backpack with Daedalus's laptop, a water bottle, a few pieces of ambrosia for emergencies, and a box of matches—probably useless, but her dad had drilled into her head that she should always have a way to make fire.**

Annabeth gave a strained smile at that.

"But no First Aid Kit?" Will noticed with a disapproving frown. "You're going on a dangerous quest, _alone_ , with no idea what you're going to face and you didn't bring a First Aid Kit." He narrowed his eyes at her. "You can't always rely on ambrosia." He turned to Percy and Leo. "And that goes for you too."

Leo turned his head away and whistled innocently. Percy refused to meet Will's eyes, instead looking at Annabeth for a response.

Annabeth blinked in surprise. She had overlooked that mistake but now that she thought about it, why  _didn't_  she bring a First Aid Kit? She knew the basic knowledge and could treat a sprained ankle or broken arm if needed. Why wasn't that on top of her list? It seemed so obvious now.

"I'll bring one this time," she promised the son of Apollo. His glare softened a bit and he nodded his head in approval.

"Good." _At least one of them's willing to learn..._  he glared at the two boys who were still pretending not to notice his expression.

**She had no amazing powers. Even her one true magic item, her New York Yankees cap of invisibility, had stopped working,**

Annabeth stared blankly at the book, a few of the others glanced accusingly at Athena.

Regretting her decision, Athena winced.

 **_...You've got your intelligence,_ ** **a voice said. Annabeth wondered if Athena was speaking to her, but that was probably just wishful thinking.**

 _Trust me, Future Annabeth, you really don't want that to happen to you._  said girl thought with a cringe.

"With the constant battle between my other half, I shouldn't be able to..." the goddess of wisdom said regretfully.

**Intelligence...like Athena's favorite hero, Odysseus. He'd won the Trojan War with cleverness, not strength.**

Athena nodded her head in approval.

**He had overcome all sorts of monsters and hardships with his quick wits. That's what Athena valued.**

"It doesn't matter how powerful you are if you can be easily outsmarted by your enemy," the goddess of wisdom pointed out.

**_Wisdom's daughter walks alone._ **

**That didn't mean just without other people, Annabeth realized. It meant without any special powers.**

"As if it wasn't challenging enough," Percy grumbled.

"Tell me about it." Annabeth said flatly in agreement.

**Okay...so how to get down there safely and make sure she had a way to get out again if necessary?**

**She climbed back to the basement and stared at the open crates. Kite string and plastic swords. The idea that came to her was so ridiculous, she almost had to laugh; but it was better than nothing.**

"Yup," Annabeth agreed with a sigh.

**She set to work. Her hands seemed to know exactly what to do. Sometimes that happened, like when she was helping Leo with the ship's machinery or drawing architectural plans on the computer. She'd never made anything out of kite string and plastic swords, but it seemed easy, natural.**

Leo looked up from his Leaning Tower of Pink Erasers, surprised. 

"You get that feeling too?" he turned to her, looking at Annabeth as if he were seeing her in a whole new light. "I didn't know children of Athena could do that too."

Annabeth shrugged dismissively. "We do, but our ability can only work to a certain extent. Unlike you with your Machine Expertise, I might be able to fix certain parts of a machine, but I wouldn't be able to do any complex repairs without learning. It gets stronger to a certain degree when I'm working on something tied to my mother's domain, like architecture and arts and crafts..." she frowned a bit. "I guess."

"You guess?" Percy asked.

"I don't really know how good my Craftsmanship is, I never tried." Annabeth admitted. Most of her siblings used arts and crafts as a way to get closer to their mother, she never felt the need to since her and Athena already had so many other things in common.

**Within minutes she'd used a dozen balls of string and a crateful of swords to create a makeshift rope ladder—a braided line, woven for strength yet not too thick, with swords tied at two-foot intervals to serve as hand- and footholds.**

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. _Huh. Better than I thought_.

Leo's face lit up with interest.

"That's pretty cool," he said, admiring the handiwork. "I like the hand- and footholds."

"Thanks, not bad for my first try," Annabeth couldn't stop smirking even if she tried. She didn't even know what she was doing, but she managed to make a ladder out of kite string. Maybe she could get through this quest after all...  _Maybe._ She still had to see if her work would hold.

"You should try to make other things," Leo eagerly suggested. "You could probably make something as powerful as Hephaestus's net, if you tried!" 

"Maybe," Annabeth mused as Aphrodite shuddered. "but it's not my thing."

Leo frowned in disappointment, but didn't press her.

"Just think about it." the son of Hephaestus said.

**As a test, she tied one end around a support column and leaned on the rope with all her weight. The plastic swords bent under her, but they provided some extra bulk to the knots in the cord, so at least she could keep a better grip.**

**The ladder wouldn't win any design awards, but it might get her to the bottom of the cavern safely. First, she stuffed her backpack with the leftover spools of string. She wasn't sure why, but they were one more resource, and not too heavy.**

**She headed back to the hole in the mosaic floor. She secured one end of her ladder to the nearest piece of scaffolding, lowered the rope into the cavern, and shinnied down.**

_Finally,_  Annabeth couldn't help but think. Her stomach was doing flips just thinking about what she was going to go up against but at the same time, she was relieved her future-self was officially starting her adventure.

"That's the end of the chapter," Thalia frowned in disappointment. The others groaned in frustration, some grumbled complaints.

"Seriously?" Annabeth said, glaring at the book for the inconvenience. "Nothing even happened yet."

"They have to make four chapters somehow," Leo said, juggling his erasers.

"I'll read next," Phoebe volunteered, taking the book.

" **Annabeth XXXIV** ,"


	34. Annabeth XXXIV

" **Annabeth XXXIV** ," Phoebe read.

Annabeth crossed her arms, mouth in a tight frown. She kept her face stoic, ignoring the anxiousness building inside her.

Percy's forehead was beading with sweat, his heart was beating so fast, he was surprised that the others couldn't hear it.

This is it. No more drawing things out with eating bad pizza, scooter rides, and rope work, Annabeth was really starting her quest now.

Percy took a deep breath and shakily exhaled.

**AS ANNABETH HUNG IN THE AIR, descending hand over hand with the ladder swinging wildly, she thanked Chiron for all those years of training on the climbing course at Camp Half-Blood. She'd complained loudly and often that rope climbing would never help her defeat a monster. Chiron had just smiled, like he knew this day would come.**

"Maybe not this exact day, but he knew you'd need to know rope climbing eventually," Athena said, and she couldn't help but feel grateful that Chiron had taught her.

Annabeth's eyes widened in disbelief. She _hated_  the Climbing Wall with a burning passion, even before that one time she had fallen off. She was always so sure it was pointless, after all, what were the odds that she would have to climb a volcano with loose boulders and pouring lava?

"I guess it came in handy after all..." she muttered, grimacing as she thought back to the last time she reached the top. _After this, I need to start practicing again._

 **...She missed the brickwork edge and landed in the canal,**   **but it turned out to be only a few inches deep...**

Annabeth cringed. _And maybe ask Chiron for advice._

**She held up her glowing dagger. The shallow channel ran down the middle of a brickwork tunnel. Every few yards, ceramic pipes jutted from the walls. She guessed that the pipes were drains, part of the ancient Roman plumbing system...**

**A sudden thought chilled her even more than the water. A few years ago, Percy and she had gone on a quest in Daedalus's labyrinth—a secret network of tunnels and rooms, heavily enchanted and trapped, which ran under all the cities of America.**

The demigods froze. Dionysus grimaced at the reminder.

"You think this could be part of the labyrinth?" Percy guessed, frown deepening. Taking Annabeth's grim expression as a yes, he argued, "but wasn't Daedalus' life force tied with it? It should've collapsed after he died."

"It is possible that a  _portion_  of the labyrinth is gone, but not all of it." Athena said, her expression becoming more somber. "Something as powerful as that does cease to exist so easily."

The demigods were horrified by the very idea. After all they went through with the Battle of the Labyrinth, there was a chance that  _another_ entrance could open back up in Camp?

"You gotta be kidding me," Travis said, face expressionless.

Taking in the teens' solemn faces, Leo shifted uncomfortably.

" _So,_ if this was part of the Labyrinth Annabeth could get lost, right?" he recalled, thinking back to the bits and pieces he heard about the myth. "Can't she use the string as a trail in case she needs to find her way back?"

"It would've been better with Ariadne's String, but yeah, that's the next best thing." Annabeth sighed, playing with her college ring. "I hope I'm just being paranoid. I don't need to go through the Labyrinth again on top of finding the statue."

"I know right?" Percy agreed miserably.

**...Just to be safe, she tied a new ball of string to the end of her rope ladder. She could unravel it behind her as she explored. An old trick, but a good one.**

Annabeth nodded her head in approval.

**She debated which way to go. The tunnel seemed the same in both directions. Then, about fifty feet to her left, the Mark of Athena blazed against the wall. Annabeth could swear it was glaring at her with those big fiery eyes, as if to say, _What's your problem? Hurry up!_**

The daughter of Athena rolled her eyes. _At least they know where they're going._

**She was really starting to hate that owl.**

"It does sound annoying," Poseidon agreed, he glanced at the goddess of wisdom as if to say: _Like someone I know._

Said goddess glared at him. **  
**

**By the time she reached the spot, the image had faded, and she'd run out of string on her first spool.**

"Great, at this rate I'm going to run out before the half-way point." Annabeth grumbled.

**As she was attaching a new line, she glanced across the tunnel. There was a broken section in the brickwork, as if a sledgehammer had knocked a hole in the wall...Sticking her dagger through the opening for light, Annabeth could see a lower chamber, long and narrow, with a mosaic floor, painted walls, and benches running down either side. It was shaped sort of like a subway car.**

Everyone tensed. Was this just another passage way or something more?

**She stuck her head into the hole, hoping nothing would bite it off.**

Percy winced.

**At the near end of the room was a bricked-off doorway. At the far end was a stone table, or maybe an altar.**

The readers perked up.

"This must be for the foreign god," Annabeth said, stiffening. She hadn't been expecting to run into the situation so soon.

**Still holding her string, she lowered herself down.**

"Here we go," Percy muttered, subconsciously leaning forward in his chair.

 **The room's ceiling was barrel-shaped with brick arches, but Annabeth didn't like the look of the** **supports. Directly above her head, on the arch nearest to the bricked-in doorway, the capstone was** **cracked in half. Stress fractures ran across the ceiling.**

Athena and Annabeth frowned worriedly. 

"How has the ceiling not collapsed yet?" the teen found herself asking.

"Let's not jinx it, that thing sounds like it could fall any minute," Percy said worriedly.

 **...The floor was a long narrow mosaic with seven pictures in a row, like a time line. At Annabeth's** **feet was a raven. Next was a lion. Several others looked like Roman warriors with various weapons.** **The rest were too damaged or covered in dust for Annabeth to make out details. The benches on** **either side were littered with broken pottery. The walls were painted with scenes of a banquet: a robed** **man with a curved cap like an ice cream scoop, sitting next to a larger guy who radiated sunbeams.** **Standing around them were torchbearers and servants, and various animals like crows and lions** **wandered in the background...**

Recognizing the description immediately, Aphrodite groaned loudly in frustration. 

"It's  _Mithras_ ," she declared in heavy exasperation.

"I-is that a bad?" Lacy asked hesitantly.

"It's  _annoying_ but not bad. This room sounds like it's been abandoned for centuries with all the dust and broken pottery." the goddess sniffed. "You should be safe... _Maybe._ "

The demigods tensed.

" _Maybe?"_ Annabeth pressed.

Aphrodite braided her hair.

"Well, Mithras's followers were big on the whole 'secrecy' thing, to the point that they were paranoid about it..." she explained, frowning. "I wouldn't be surprised if this place was rigged with booby-traps."

"That would explain why it looks so empty." Annabeth muttered, narrowing her eyes. She thought back to the description and tried to think of anything that could be a trap.

 **At the far end of the room, the altar was elaborately carved with a frieze showing the man with the** **ice-cream-scoop hat holding a knife to the neck of a bull. On the altar stood a stone figure of a man** **sunk to his knees in rock, a dagger and a torch in his outraised hands...**

The goddess of love scoffed at the statue. "He was so arrogant for a new god."

"He's a war god, they're always arrogant," Pluto said offhandedly. He winced before his form flickered back to his Greek side.

 **She took one step toward the altar. Her foot went CRUNCH. She looked down and realized she'd** **just put her shoe through a human rib cage.**

The gods winced.

Athena reared back in her seat, her face twisted in a pained expression.

The demigods gasped, a few squeezing their eyes shut with a grimace.

Annabeth's face paled drastically.

 _How could I miss seeing something like that?_ she thought, swallowing what felt like sand. She couldn't help but remind herself that that rib cage had once belonged to a child of Athena like herself.

Annabeth shuddered.

Percy wrapped his arm around her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, voice full of concern. She didn't feel okay, in fact she was feeling nauseous, but Annabeth nodded her head.

"I'll be fine." she said in a soft voice. With the others giving her sympathetic looks, she gave Phoebe an encouraging nod to keep reading. 

 **Annabeth swallowed back a scream...She had glanced down only a** **moment before and hadn't seen any bones. Now the floor was littered with them.** **The rib cage was** **obviously old. It crumbled to dust as she removed her foot. Nearby lay a corroded bronze dagger very** **much like her own. Either this dead person had been carrying the weapon, or it had killed him.**

Everyone stiffened.

"O-o-oh my gods," Katie stammered, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Where are all these bones coming from?" Chris said, eyes wide in horror.

"Did she somehow set off a trap?" Thalia said worriedly, her voice raising. She tightened the grip on her bow. "What's happening?"

"Where's the exit is there any way to leave?" Percy said urgently.

"I don't think so, the book hasn't mentioned one yet..." Annabeth said tightly, trying to keep calm. She forced herself to not think about the bones littering the room, in favor of focusing on the dagger. 

What had caused all these people to die? Was that dagger really the dead person's weapon or was it something else? She recalled how the earlier description mentioned a dagger. 

_A man sunk in to his knees in rock with a dagger in his hand... I don't think this is a coincidence. Why would that be the only weapon mentioned?_

**She held out her blade to see in front of her. A little farther down the mosaic path sprawled a** **more complete skeleton in the remains of an embroidered red doublet, like a man from the** **Renaissance. His frilled collar and skull had been badly burned, as if the guy had decided to wash his** **hair with a blowtorch.**

The teens winced. Some started whispering to each other, glancing back at the daughter of Athena.

Annabeth's eyes widened in realization. "Not a blowtorch, a torch..." 

This earned her confused frowns from the others.

"Wha..." Travis' eyes widened. " _Oooh_ , like what the rock guy had."

"Right," Annabeth said, sounding more sure. "And there was a dagger, just like what Mithras is depicted to have in the statue. This has to be part of a test, maybe the two had to do something with the torch and dagger but failed."

"Maybe, but what would the test be?" Katie wondered.

Annabeth played with her necklace. "I'm not sure, maybe I can find a clue written somewhere."

 **...She lifted her eyes to the altar statue, which held a dagger and a** **torch.**

 **Some kind of test, Annabeth decided. These two guys had failed. Correction: not just two guys.** **More bones and scraps of clothing were scattered all the way to the altar. She couldn't guess how** **many skeletons were represented, but she was willing to bet they were all demigods from the past,** **children of Athena on the same quest.**

Athena's expression darkened.

The demigods shuddered.

Annabeth twisted her necklace around her finger and bit her lip.

Percy pulled her closer in his embrace. He couldn't help but admire how strong Annabeth was being. She was surrounded by skeletons of people who failed the quest she was on right now, yet she was able to stay levelheaded and make observations. Even now, Annabeth was still able to focus on her mission.

 _She's amazing._ he thought, giving his girlfriend's shoulder a comforting squeeze.

**"I will not be another skeleton on your floor," she called to the statue, hoping she sounded brave.**

"Right," Athena nodded her head in approval.

"You tell'em Annabeth!" Connor cheered, trying to be optimistic. Some of the demigods joined him and added words of encouragement.

"You got this!"

"We believe in you!"

"Let's go Annabeth!"

Annabeth's expression softened, her shoulders slumped a bit. 

"Thanks guys," she said with a small smile.

 _ **A girl,**_ **said a watery voice, echoing through the room.** _ **Girls are not allowed.**  _Phoebe scowled.

Everyone tensed.

"Who was that?" Lacy squeaked. 

"Sounds like a Mithras follower," Aphrodite sniffed.

"But isn't this place abandoned?" Percy said, eyes narrowed.

"Not if it's infested with ghosts," Nico said gravely.

 ** _A female demigod,_  said a second voice.  _Inexcusable._** **  
**

Aphrodite and a few other gods rolled their eyes. 

Artemis, her hunters, and the demigods glared at the book.

**The chamber rumbled. Dust fell from the cracked ceiling.**

Athena grimaced in concern.  _Don't fall, not now..._

 **Annabeth bolted for the hole she'd** **come through, but it had disappeared. Her string had been severed. She clambered up on the bench** **and pounded on the wall where the hole had been, hoping the hole's absence was just an illusion, but** **the wall felt solid.**

"No way out now," Annabeth grumbled, taking in the situation.  _Surrounded by enemies she couldn't see, an alter with a dagger and torch that involved some sort of test, okay. What can I do here?_

They could have attacked her when she wasn't aware of their presence, maybe they were waiting for her to perform the test? She might be able to talk with the ghosts.

 **Along the benches, a dozen ghosts shimmered into existence—glowing purple men in Roman** **togas, like the Lares she'd seen at Camp Jupiter. They glared at her as if she'd interrupted their** **meeting.**

 **She did the only thing she could. She stepped down from the bench and put her back to the** **bricked-in doorway. She tried to look confident, though the scowling purple ghosts and the demigod** **skeletons at her feet made her want to turtle in her T-shirt and scream.**

"Can't blame you for that," Katie shivered.

**"I'm a child of Athena," she said, as boldly as she could manage.**

Athena proudly sat upright in her throne, she gave her daughter a smile.

Annabeth gave her a strained smile back.

**"A Greek," one of the ghosts said with disgust. "That is even worse."**

"Please don't tell me we're stuck with them for the whole chapter," Travis complained. 

 **At the other end of the chamber, an old-looking ghost rose with some difficulty (do ghosts have** **arthritis?)**

"He shouldn't. I don't know why he's acting like he's in pain," Hades said.

"Maybe it's phantom pains," Leo grinned, looking up from his screws and bolts. 

Nico groaned. "Stop."

"And wait 'til October to use these jokes? No way, I'm just getting started." he snickered at the other's exasperated expression.

" _Jokes?_ There's more?" Nico complained.

**and stood by the altar, his dark eyes fixed on Annabeth...**

**"This is the cavern of Mithras," said the old ghost. "You have disturbed our sacred rituals. You** **cannot look upon our mysteries and live."**

"I don't want to see any of your secrets, just let me leave." Annabeth said, crossing her arms.

 **"I don't want to look upon your mysteries," Annabeth assured him. "I'm following the Mark of** **Athena. Show me the exit, and I'll be on my way."**

**Her voice sounded calm, which surprised her.**

"I don't know how you're doing it but keep going, you're doing great." Percy encouraged her.

 **She had no idea how to get out of here, but she** **knew she had to succeed where her siblings had failed. Her path led farther on—deeper into the** **underground layers of Rome.**

 **...The ghosts mumbled to each other in Latin. Annabeth caught a few unkind words about female** **demigods and Athena.**

Athena and Annabeth gritted their teeth. 

 **Finally the ghost with the pope hat struck his shepherd's crook against the floor. The other Lares** **fell silent.**

 **"Your Greek goddess is powerless here," said the pope. "Mithras is the god of Roman warriors! He** **is the god of the legion, the god of the empire!"**

"Oh  _really_? Then where has he been all these centuries?" Athena sneered.

**"He wasn't even Roman," Annabeth protested. "Wasn't he, like, Persian or something?"**

"They don't care," Aphrodite shrugged.

 **"Sacrilege!" the old man yelped, banging his staff on the floor a few more times. "Mithras protects** **us! I am the _pater_  of this brotherhood—"**

"The father," Annabeth translated, filing this information away for later.

**..."Do not interrupt! As _pater,_  I must protect our mysteries."**

"Then let me go! The longer I stay here, the longer I'm exposed to your 'mysteries'." Annabeth argued with air quotes.

**"What mysteries?" Annabeth asked. "A dozen dead guys in togas sitting around in a cave?"**

" _Pppffftt!_ " Hermes covered his mouth and started chuckling.

Will cringed. "I don't think it's a good idea to make them angry..."

"Maybe," Annabeth said, brushing a stray lock of hair away from her face.  _But it's true._  

 **The ghosts muttered and complained, until the _pater_  got them under control with a taxi cab ** **whistle.**

"With no lungs?" Will said, perplexed. 

"It's magic." Nico said as if that explained everything.

 **..."You are clearly an unbeliever. Like the others, you must** **die."**

The others... Everyone grimaced, trying not to think about the skeletons in the room.

 **...Her mind worked furiously, grasping for anything she knew about Mithras. He had a secret cult** **for warriors. He was popular in the legion. He was one of the gods who'd supplanted Athena as a war** **deity.**

Athena scowled.

 **Aphrodite had mentioned him during their teatime chat in Charleston. Aside from that,** **Annabeth had no idea.**

"Knew more than I did..." Annabeth grumbled with a hint of embarrassment. She really need to start studying more about Roman mythology.

 **Mithras just wasn't one of the gods they talked about at Camp Half-Blood.** **She doubted the ghosts would wait while she whipped out Daedalus's laptop and did a search.**

"So what are you going to do?" Mitchell asked nervously.

"I think I'll try to stall as long as I can," Annabeth said.  _Then hope I can think of a way to get out of this mess._

 **She scanned the floor mosaic—seven pictures in a row. She studied the ghosts and noticed all of** **them wore some sort of badge on their toga—a raven, or a torch, or a bow.**

 _Like membership badges..._ Annabeth silently thought.

 **"You have rites of passage," she blurted out. "Seven levels of membership. And the top level is the** **_pater._ "**

The demigods gave Annabeth confused looks. 

"How do you know that?" Percy asked.

Annabeth squeezed her college ring. "It was just a guess. I could be wrong."

"It sounds right to me," Travis said with a shrug.

"You're not part of a secret cult," she pointed out.

"None that you know of," he smirked. Katie shuddered.

"Don't even joke about that," she said.

**The ghosts let out a collective gasp. Then they all began shouting at once.**

**"How does she know this?" one demanded.**

Annabeth sighed with relief. "I can't believe that actually worked..."

"It's not over yet," Athena warned. 

"I know." she said, relaxing a bit despite this. She leaned against Percy's chest.

**"The girl has gleaned our secrets!**

**"Silence!" the _pater_  ordered.**

**"But she might know about the ordeals!" another cried.**

**"The ordeals!" Annabeth said. "I know about them!"**

"Just don't me ask what they are," Annabeth said, earning snickers from the Stolls.

"You can't tell them anyways, you've been sworn to secrecy," Connor said.

"What happens in the Mithras cult, stays in the Mithras cult." Travis recited. 

**Another round of incredulous gasping.**

Some of the listeners started laughing at the cultists' reactions.

"Over dramatic much?" Thalia smirked.

 **"Ridiculous!" The _pater_  yelled. "The girl lies! Daughter of Athena, choose your way of death. If ** **you do not choose, the god will choose for you!"**

"Lemme guess: Fire or dagger?" Annabeth said.

 **...Even the _pater_  looked stunned. Apparently he hadn't remembered there were victims of past ** **punishments lying on the floor.**

"Don't know how'd you forget that..." Chris said.

**"How—how did you... ?" He gulped. "Who _are_  you?"**

"Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena and Architect of Olympus," Annabeth bragged with a smirk. This was too easy, she hoped the other trials were going to be like this!

 **"A child of Athena," Annabeth said again. "But not just any child. I am...uh, the _mater_  in my ** **sisterhood. The _magna mater_ , in fact. There are no mysteries to me. Mithras cannot hide anything from my sight."**

"That's right! Annabeth knows and sees all!" Connor exclaimed.

"Tremble before her magma matter power," Travis added.

" _Magna mater_ ," Percy repeated, he hesitated for a bit before translating. "It means 'big mother', right?"

Annabeth nodded her head, still smirking.

**"The _magna mater!_ " a ghost wailed in despair. "The big mother!"**

More people started smiling in amusement, others were just snickering at the situation.

 **"Kill her!" One of the ghosts charged, his hands out to strangle her, but he passed right through** **her.**

**"You're dead," Annabeth reminded him. "Sit down."**

**The ghost looked embarrassed and took his seat.**

Everyone in the room burst out laughing.

"I'm surprised he stuck around after that. If that happened to me, I would've just phased out in embarrassment." Chris chuckled.

" _Ouch! Wow_  Annabeth, you really  _dampened his spirits,_ " Leo said in between his laughter. He laughed harder at his own joke.

Nico stopped laughing and buried his face in his hands. He groaned loudly as if in pain. "That wasn't even funny."

"You don't get it?" Leo asked in mock innocence, earning a dry look from the son of Hades. Leo's smile grew a bit wider as he patiently explained. "It's funny because he's a ghost and  _dampen his spirits_ means-"

"I get it and it's still dumb," Nico huffed, making a show of rolling his eyes.

**"We do not need to kill you ourselves," the _pater_  growled. "Mithras shall do that for us!"**

**The statue on the altar began to glow.**

Any traces of laughter stopped at that, everyone tensed.

Annabeth's smirk vanished with a worried frown in its place.

 **Annabeth pressed her hands against the bricked-in doorway at her back. That had to be the exit.** **The mortar was crumbling, but it was not weak enough for her to break through with brute force.**

 **She looked desperately around the room—the cracked ceiling, the floor mosaic, the wall paintings,** **and the carved altar. She began to talk, pulling deductions from the top of her head.**

Annabeth's mind was racing. She sat upright in her seat.

 **"It is no good," she said. "I know all. You test your initiates with fire because the torch is the** **symbol of Mithras. His other symbol is the dagger, which is why you can also be tested with the blade. You want to kill me, just as...uh, as Mithras killed the sacred bull."**

"I think," Annabeth inserted with a helpless shrug.

 **It was a total guess, but the altar showed Mithras killing a bull, so Annabeth figured it must be** **important. The ghosts wailed and covered their ears. Some slapped their faces as if to wake up from a** **bad dream.**

Everyone relaxed. Percy let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

 **"The big mother knows!" one said. "It is impossible!"** **  
**

"Unless you look around the room," Annabeth smirked, confidence quickly coming back. "You have to work on keeping your mysteries a secret." 

 **...She glared at the ghost who had just spoken. He had a raven badge on his toga—the same symbol** **as on the floor at her feet.**

 **"You are just a raven," she scolded. "That is the lowest rank. Be silent and let me speak to your** **pater."**

**The ghost cringed. "Mercy! Mercy!"**

"Annabeth's really putting all of these ghosts in their place," Hermes chuckled.

 **At the front of the room, the _pater_  trembled—either from rage or fear, Annabeth wasn't sure ** **which.**

"Probably both." Annabeth shrugged, not exactly threatened but not dismissing him altogether.

 **His pope hat tilted sideways on his head like a gas gauge dropping toward empty. "Truly, you** **know much, big mother. Your wisdom is great, but that is all the more reason why you cannot leave.** **The weaver warned us you would come."**

Annabeth faltered at that. She should've known that Arachne was working with them, yet she still felt a jolt of surprise. 

 **"The weaver..." Annabeth realized with a sinking feeling what the _pater_  was talking about...** **"The weaver fears me. She doesn't want** **me to follow the Mark of Athena. But you will let me pass."**

**"You must choose an ordeal!" the _pater_  insisted. "Fire or dagger! Survive one, and then, perhaps!"**

"That must be what happened to the others," Hestia realized with a wince.

 **Annabeth looked down at the bones of her siblings. _The failures of your predecessors will guide you._  ** **They'd all chosen one or the other: fire or dagger. Maybe they'd thought they could beat the** **ordeal. But they had all died.**

Athena grimaced, feeling as though someone punched her in the gut.

**Annabeth needed a third choice.**

**She stared at the altar statue, which was glowing brighter by the second. She could feel its heat** **across the room. Her instinct was to focus on the dagger or the torch, but instead she concentrated on** **the statue's base. She wondered why its legs were stuck in stone. Then it occurred to her: maybe the** **little statue of Mithras wasn't _stuck_  in the rock. Maybe he was  _emerging_  from the rock.**

"That's right," Aphrodite said. 

"Not the most unconventional way a god was born, but still weird." Percy said.

**"Neither torch nor dagger," Annabeth said firmly. "There is a third test, which I will pass."**

**"A third test?" the _pater_  demanded.**

**"Mithras was born from rock," Annabeth said, hoping she was right. "He emerged fully grown** **from the stone, holding his dagger and torch."**

**The screaming and wailing told her she had guessed correctly.**

**"The big mother knows all!" a ghost cried. "That is our most closely guarded secret!"**  

"Why are they so surprised? Don't they have their biggest secret on the alter for everyone to see?" Leo laughed, swinging his legs back and forth.

"They should have allowed women into their club, then they'd have more common sense." Artemis stated.

 **...Annabeth gestured dramatically to the wall she'd come from. "I was born from stone, just as** **Mithras was! Therefore, I have already passed your ordeal!"** **  
**

"You really think that's going to work?" Travis snickered.

"Why not? They believed everything else I told them." Annabeth said smugly.

**"Bah!" the _pater_  spat. "You came from a hole in the wall! That's not the same thing."**

"Okay, okay, so the  _pater_ isn't a  _complete_ moron." Annabeth said, rolling her eyes.

"You'd have to be brain dead to fall for that." Clarisse said.

Leo snickered. " _Brain dead,"_

"No." Nico deadpanned. 

 **...Annabeth remained confident. She** **glanced at the ceiling, and another idea came to her—all the details clicking together.**

 **"I have control over the very stones." She raised her arms. "I will prove my power is greater than** **Mithras. With a single strike, I will bring down this chamber."**

Having an idea where she was going with this, Athena's face lit up. 

 **The ghosts wailed and trembled and looked at the ceiling, but Annabeth knew they didn't see** **what she saw. These ghosts were warriors, not engineers. The children of Athena had many skills, and** **not just in combat. Annabeth had studied architecture for years. She knew this ancient chamber was** **on the verge of collapse. She recognized what the stress fractures in the ceiling meant, all emanating** **from a single point—the top of the stone arch just above her. The capstone was about to crumble, and** **when that happened, assuming she could time it correctly...**

"And if you don't..." Will said nervously.

"Then I'll be crushed," Annabeth stated, earning a wince from Percy.

"I want to say how dangerous that is, but we've done worse." the son of Poseidon said.

" _Way_ worse," she agreed with a confident smile. "I can handle this."

 **"Impossible!" the _pater_  shouted. "The weaver has paid us much tribute to destroy any children of ** **Athena who would dare enter our shrine.**

Athena's hands curled into fists.

**We have never let her down.**

"Yeah? Well, you will today." Annabeth said.

**We cannot let you pass."**

**"Then you fear my power!" Annabeth said. "You admit that I could destroy your sacred chamber!"**

**The _pater_  scowled. He straightened his hat uneasily. Annabeth knew she'd put him in an ** **impossible position. He couldn't back down without looking cowardly.**

 **"Do your worst, child of Athena," he decided. "No one can bring down the cavern of Mithras,** **especially with one strike. Especially not a girl!"** Phoebe rolled her eyes.

The other hunters scoffed.

Artemis glared at the book.

 **Annabeth hefted her dagger. The ceiling was low. She could reach the capstone easily, but she'd** **have to make her one strike count.**

 **The doorway behind her was blocked, but in theory, if the room started to collapse, those bricks** **should weaken and crumble. She _should_  be able to bust her way through before the entire ceiling came ** **down—assuming, of course, that there was something behind the brick wall, not just solid earth; and** **assuming that Annabeth was quick enough and strong enough and lucky enough. Otherwise, she was** **about to be a demigod pancake.**

Everyone sat on the edges of their seats, holding their breaths. The room was quiet expect for the sound of Phoebe's voice.

 **"Well, boys," she said. "Looks like you chose the wrong war god."** **  
**

Aphrodite and Athena (form flickering) laughed at that.

 **She struck the capstone. The Celestial bronze blade shattered it like a sugar cube. For a moment,** **nothing happened.**

The demigods' shoulders slumped in confusion. Some exchanged looks.

"Wait for it," Athena practically purred. She was already beaming, smiling widely from ear to ear.

**"Ha!" the _pater_  gloated. "You see? Athena has no power here!"**

**The room shook. A fissure ran across the length of the ceiling and the far end of the cavern** **collapsed, burying the altar and the pater. More cracks widened. Bricks fell from the arches. Ghosts** **screamed and ran, but they couldn't seem to pass through the walls. Apparently they were bound to** **this chamber even in death.**

 **Annabeth turned. She slammed against the blocked entrance with all her might, and the bricks** **gave way. As the cavern of Mithras imploded behind her, she lunged into darkness and found herself** **falling.**

Silence.

The demigods broke out in cheer.

"Anna-beth! Anna-beth!" some chanted, their rhythm clashed against the others: "Here we go, Annabeth! Here we go!" _Clap, clap, clap!_

"You did it!" Lacy squealed, bouncing up and down in her seat.

"I knew you could," Athena boasted, smirking at the other gods who couldn't help but be impressed.

"Those guys didn't stand  _a ghost of a chance_ ," Leo snickered. Nico pretended to gag, but Annabeth gave a hearty laugh. Not because the joke was actually funny ( _gods no_ ), but more out of a sense of relief. She survived!

 _I did it!_ she thought with giddy, smiling so hard it was starting to hurt. Her heart was racing from adrenaline, Annabeth pulled Percy into a hug and kissed him.  _I did it!_

"And here you were, worried about me." Annabeth said once they pulled apart.

"I'm your boyfriend, I'm supposed to worry when you go off on dangerous quests," Percy said good-naturedly. He was wearing a toothy smile. "You did it! You're going to find that statue in no time!"

"You're celebrating too early, she still hasn't fought the weaver yet." Hera warned, earning glares from Athena and Annabeth.

"Settle down Hera, let them enjoy this moment. Children of Athena never made it this far before, they have a reason for some celebration." Poseidon pointed out. He didn't care about Athena's feelings but he did want Annabeth to celebrate for a little while. The god was happy for her and was impressed with how resourceful she had been in the situation.

 _Percy made the right choice in dating her._ he thought. 

Hera crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

The room was filled with cheers, laughter, and excited conversations. It took a while, but eventually everyone settled down.

Athena, chest puffed out in pride, announced, "I'll read next."

Annabeth wasn't exactly gung-ho about her mother reading her point-of-view, but it didn't ruin her moment.  _I'm going to do it. I'm going to find the statue,save my mom, and put an end to this stupid rivalry._

" **Annabeth XXXV** ,"


End file.
